Panning For Gold And Self-Awareness In John Adams' New Opera
Set in the California mining camps of the 1850s, Girls of the Golden West, sifts through themes that still weigh heavy today.
John Adams might be called the "documentarian" among American composers. His works have traced the birth of the atomic bomb, President Nixon's trip to China and the 9-11 attacks. Now, Adams turns to the California Gold Rush. Girls of the Golden West, his new opera, received its world premiere Nov. 21 at the San Francisco Opera.
The Gold Rush might invoke images of happy-go-lucky miners panning for shiny nuggets, but author and historian Marlene Smith-Baranzini says not to expect a lighthearted western from Adams'
