Nixon in China

With Nixon in China, it is not only a new title or a new composer making a first appearance on the stage of the Piermarini, but an entire repertoire that constitutes an essential part of twentieth-century music. John Adams’s first opera turns forty and has become an established classic: the account of the historic visit of Richard and Pat Nixon to China, where they were received by Mao Tse-tung and his wife Chiang Ch’ing, presents in a single fresco both an episode of recent history – now once again strikingly relevant – and a glimpse into domestic life. Valentina Carrasco’s production, created in Paris, portrays with wit and elegance both the manoeuvres of what became known as “pingpong diplomacy” and the personalities of the protagonists, brought vividly to life by Thomas Hampson and Renée Fleming. For the occasion, Kent Nagano returns to the La Scala podium.