Nagano conducts Adams: El Niño

“Shake the heavens….” On the brink of the 21st century, John Adams and Peter Sellars reimagined the birth of Christ, weaving sacred texts around modern Hispanic poetry and charging them with the energy and directness of contemporary dance and film. The result was El Niño, a “Nativity Oratorio” that quickly established itself as one of most talked-about (and moving) artworks of the new Millennium. This film documents the actual moment of its creation: the historic world-premiere production in Paris, with the creators’ choice of performers (including the late, and unforgettable, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson). An unmissable record of the birth of a masterpiece.

Soloists: 

Dawn Upshaw (Soprano), Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (Mezzo-Soprano), Sir Willard White (Bass), Daniel Bubeck (Countertenor), Brian Cummings (Countertenor), Steven Rickards (Countertenor)

Ensembles: 

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, London Voices, Theatre of Voices, Maîtrise de Paris

Conductor: 

Kent Nagano