John Adams conducted his opera about the making of the atomic bomb in 1945. Although, I thought it slightly overlong, the work conveyed for me excellently the terrible irrevocability of this act. It felt like the crossing of a line when man started to encroach on the territory of God.
The opera brought out well the tensions in the men who were responsible - some scientists concerned about what they were doing; others fascinated by the possibilities; and the military who were subject to the political pressures of having the bomb ready to support Truman in his talks at Posnan.
The principal singers were absolutely excellent, particularly Gerald Finley as Oppenheimer and Julia Bullock as his wife, Kitty. This was only ever a lightly staged production but all the principals conveyed their emotions expressively and I'm not sure any greater staging would be beneficial.
The only aspect I felt could have been developed further was the contrast between the men making their atom bomb and the females back home carrying on their domestic existence. This seemed the only point for referring to Oppenheimer's family but, to me, it felt a bit like an interlude from the main story of what the men were up to.
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