Review: John Adams's EL NINO Finally Arrives at the Met After World Travels

Back in December, I saw the chamber version of John Adams’s EL NINO—dubbed EL NINO: NATIVITY RECONSIDERED—at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Pared down to its essence, it was wonderful, starring two of the singers who made their debuts in the premiere at the Met, soprano Julia Bullock and bass-baritone Davone Tines plus countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, who were at their best.

It was a somber evening in a dramatic setting—a far cry from the oratorio/opera’s over-the-top welcome to Lincoln Center last night, in Lileana Blain-Cruz’s production that made me think of something that might have been done by Franco Zeffirelli. Think the Parisian throngs in Act II of the Met’s LA BOHEME (which, of course, is one of the Met’s most popular productions with audiences) and transfer it to a tropical motif.

If Adams hadn’t written such a distinctive score, with its pulsating beat and rumbling underbelly, and its complex libretto co-authored by him and the original director, Peter Sellars, the work might have been overpowered by the bedazzling colors and effects of the scenic design.

Created by Adam Rigg, it had inspiring projections by Hannah Wasileski and lighting by Yi Zhao (all Met debutants as well), using Mark Grey’s sound design. The costumes were by Montana Levi Blanco, the unusual puppet designs by James Ortiz and the choreography by Marjani Forte-Saunders. (The latter two also making debuts.)

But, luckily, despite his long neglect by the Met, Adams is an artist who belongs to be there, as DOCTOR ATOMIC, NIXON IN CHINA and THE DEATH OF KLINGHOFFER proved before. His mixtures of styles and colors, of orchestration and set pieces, are brilliant elements of his scoring. His writing for the trio of countertenors who sing the Three Wise Men, for example, is glorious, the ending ensemble for the children’s chorus inspired and the solos for the “star” parts provoking amazement at their versatility.

And with conductor Marin Alsop on the podium, he got the Met premiere for EL NINO that seemed to come off without a hitch despite its complexity, a debut that he deserved. The difficult music seemed like mother’s milk to Alsop, embracing the enormous production and debuting leads (plus the minions from the Met chorus and orchestra, and the Young People's Chorus of NYC); working with director Blain-Cruz, everything seemed to take shape in spite of its scale, under the conductor. Alsop’s a champion at marshalling the forces in front of her, no matter how large, and it was a brilliant stroke by the Met to put her at the helm for this hybrid oratorio/opera.

There are definitely differences between the chamber version of the work and this larger scale performance: I found that at the Met, EL NINO seemed less an ensemble piece with outstanding solos, as it had at St. John the Divine, than a more traditional opera.

The role of Mary is doubled by a mezzo and soprano, showing different aspects of the character dramatically as well as vocally: the marvelous mezzo J’Nai Bridges, who threatened to walk away with the honors for the piece, with her plush, earthy sound, robust in “For My God was born to suffer”; and soprano Julia Bullock, whose sense of dignity brought a very special character to this woman who is carrying the future of the world in her belly. She brought sumptuous singing to the “Magnificat.”

The two singers work beautifully together from their first appearance at the start of the piece, but each had their own way of standing out from the hordes on stage. (It was filled to the brim.) Bullock’s greatest opportunity was in the “Memoria de Tlatelolco,” after King Herod has ordered all the children under two in the town of Bethlehem to be killed, just so he wouldn’t miss Jesus, and she grabbed it. She was sensational, though she had already shown her divine vocal skills earlier in the evening.

Davone Tines was another standout, as both Joseph—the husband and the father—and heavily made up as the misery-making King Herod, who wants to kill the child meant to be the messiah. His voice is rich, his manner thoughtful when needed and threatening elsewhere. He’s a charismatic performer who can also stand back and let his costars take center stage. His showcase was in the “Shake the Heavens” section but he easily stood out from the throngs around him anywhere he was, whether the soloists and chorus. As Herod he was chilling—cutting too close to bone with the modern references that the character brings to the work.

The three lithe countertenors (Key’mon W. Murrah and Simon Chung, both debutants, and Eric Jurenas) were most clearly in their element as the three Kings, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, bringing their gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense to the Christ child. Their unearthly sound was chilling—as it must have been for Herod when he heard them proclaim the child “the king of the Jews,” setting off his rampage.

As usual, Donald Palumbo led the Met chorus to an exciting performance, while the children with led by Francisco Nunez and Emma Sway.

EL NINO is an alternate Nativity story, performed in English and Spanish, with a tropical motif rather than Middle East setting. It calls out to the New Testament and other bible-related texts as well as poetry from Mexico and South America, from Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Rosario Castellanos and Gabriela Mistral. (Or, as the program synopsis proclaims, “EL NINO tells the story of the Nativity, along with reflections on the wonders and tribulations of motherhood itself.”)

It also has themes running through it that were never part of the original Nativity story (though some were apochcryphal), whether Joseph’s anger at finding his wife pregnant after he’s been away for six months or the talk of radio and television late in the second act.

EL NINO will be performed at the Met through May 17. For more information about the performance and tickets, please see the Met’s website.

Caption: (ctr, l to r) J,Nai Bridges and Julia Bullock.

Credit: Evan Zimmerman/Met Opera

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