Adams: El Niņo

Disc 1
1	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
2	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
3	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
4	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
5	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
6	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
7	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
8	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
9	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
10	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
11	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
Disc 2
1	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
2	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
3	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
4	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
5	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
6	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
7	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
8	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
9	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
10	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
11	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
12	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
13	El Niņo, a Nativity Orato
Adams: El Niņo
1.	El Niņo, a Nativity Oratorio 1:51:11
	Composed by John Adams
	Conducted by Kent Nagano
	Performed by Willard White, Terry Edwards, Patrick Marco, London Voices, Theatre of Voices, Steven Rickards, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Dawn Upshaw

Barnes & Noble

"I wanted to write a Messiah," John Adams said of El Niño -- a bold aim, considering how beloved Handel's oratorio is. Whether or not Adams has achieved his goal, there is no doubt that he has created a big, beautiful work of astonishing dramatic power. El Niño's texts are drawn not only from the New Testament and the biblical Apocrypha, but also from a broad range of poetry (including Medieval English lyric poems and contemporary Latin American verse). The consequent diversity of perspectives is reflected in the music, but it is also Adams's characteristic rhythmic style that holds all the different emotional strands together.

Adams's musical language has become increasingly profuse and expressive over the years, although it retains its rhythmic energy and thrust. Even the gorgeous "Pues mi Dios ha nacido a penar" that opens Part Two of El Niño quickly develops a conspicuous underlay of instrumental bustle. The story itself is told and commented upon by three vocal soloists -- sung here by soprano Dawn Upshaw, mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and baritone Willard White -- aided by a trio of countertenors and a pair of choirs. Amazingly, despite the size of the forces employed, almost every word of the text can be easily understood, thanks primarily to Adams's careful text setting. Still more astonishing is the limitless fertility of the composer's invention. Even when he takes Handel on word-for-word -- as in "Shake the Heavens" -- the passion and originality of Adams's response makes comparisons fruitless. The lucid, luminous tone painting of "Dawn Air," the prophetic, mysterious mood of "The Annunciation," and the stark, blunt force of "And he slew all the children" are all sui generis. And how lucky we are to have such a magnificent performance on disc as this one. Having made the recording following two months of staged performances in Europe, the musicians have the music in their blood. The intensity of the interpretation is itself testimony to El Niño's greatness. Hallelujah, indeed! Andrew Farach-Colton

All Music Guide

El Niņo is an ambitious project that could have easily become overblown in execution, but thankfully that is not the case. This warm and sometimes moving oratorio humanizes the Nativity story by emphasizing Mary's perspective and the miracle of birth. The texts are in English, Spanish, and Latin and are based on a variety of sources, including the New Testament Apocrypha and contemporary Latin American poetry. The music also incorporates a wide range of styles and influences, including jazz, show tunes, and Handel's "Messiah," but it coheres under Adams' distinctive rhythmic approach. It begins with the steady repetition of a D minor chord, followed by the introduction of polyrhythms and dissonance, as well as countertenors Brian Cummings and Dan Brubeck. Both of them, as well as the third countertenor, Steven Rickards, give golden performances on this album. The same is true for the three soloists, mezzo soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, soprano Dawn Upshaw, and baritone Willard White, who are all cast in flexible roles. For example, Upshaw sings the role of the Virgin Mary in the second piece, "Hail, Mary, Gracious!" (adapted from The Play of Annunciation from Martial Rose's version of The Wakefield Mystery Plays), and mezzo soprano Lieberson gives a fiery performance in the same role in the third piece, "La Anunciacion," which is based on the poetry of Rosario Castellanos (who is also the source of "Se Habla de Gabriel," "Memorial de Tlatelolco," and "A Palm Tree"). The next three pieces, including "Magnificat" (which features an assured, sensitive performance by Upshaw), draw on St. Luke for their text. White makes his first appearance as Joseph on the seventh piece, "Now She Was Sixteen Years Old," and also appears as Herod later on; he effectively conveys both Joseph's confusion and Herod's anger in his forceful performances. The more reflective second half of this album isn't as immediately accessible as the first, and sometimes suffers from cursory narrative passages, but it also benefits from delicate touches and mostly preserves the emotional power of the first half. Todd Kristel

Gramophone

El Niño is an ecstatic celebration of Christ's birth, at once ethereal and fiercely driven, and as remote from homely "Seasonal" images as Greenland is from Bethlehem... I can't fault the performance, and the recording acheives a true aural perspective. Very strongly recommended. Rob Cowan

Billboard

The vocal soloists are each absolutely ideal, and the orchestra and chorus play this undoubtedly taxing, if inspiring, score with remarkable precision.

BBC Online

John Adams's nativity oratorio is a winner, a very palpable hit - an intelligent, emotional and sometimes magical re-telling of the old, old story from a new perspective. Andrew McGregor