Doctor Atomic, A Surprise

June 26, 2020

 A couple of days ago I decided to take one last look at the National Theatre’s fabulous production of Andrea Levy’s epic novel, Small Island. On the way to “the theatre”,  my virtual theatre, I stopped by, on the screen, to see what was showing on metopera.org.

John Adams’s Dr. Atomic (libretto by Peter Sellars) was playing.

“What will it hurt if I just watch 15 minutes,” I thought, “since that is what I tell other people to do – just take a taste, don’t feel that you have to stay the whole opera.”

But that didn’t work for me.

After about 5 minutes I was spellbound, the kind of spell that makes a person sit still, as if any movement might break the spell.

I had to do my research on the opera after I had seen it. I should have gone out and done some looking before hand, but as I say, I was on the way to watching something else and just happened by Doctor Atomic.

 I am so glad I stopped and watched. I didn’t know until afterward that the aria, sung by Oppenheimer, uses text from Donne's Holy Sonnet XIV:

Batter my heart, three person’d God; For you
As yet but knock, breathe, knock, breathe, knock, breathe
Shine, and seek to mend;
Batter my heart, three person’d God;
That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, break, blow, break, blow
burn and make me new.

I, like an usurpt town, to another due,
Labor to admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue,
Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov’d fain,
But am betroth’d unto your enemy,
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

I am not a fan of Donne, but I might be open to reading more of his sonnets.

Too much to think about. Too little time.

Loved it that I got lost in Doctor Atomic.

Arta