Credit: The Metropolitan Opera
The new opera, Doctor Atomic, brings to life the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the Manhattan Project on the eve of the first atomic test in the deserts of New Mexico in July 1945. The scientists are beginning to question their purpose as the moral dimensions of their work become magnified by the proximity of the test. They had joined the project believing the creation of the bomb to be an act of “self defence”, with the U.S. locked in a race against the Nazi war machine. But by the time of the test, Germany had surrendered. Now Japan is the target. And they realise that their creation will be used on people.
At one point, we see Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist heading the project, literally standing in the shadow of the first atomic bomb, wrestling with his doubts. Pressed into the war effort to save his nation, he realises that the bomb will be his legacy.
You might recognise some contemporary issues in their deliberations. Some of the scientists petition U.S. President Truman: as a “humanitarian nation”, they say, the U.S. should first demonstrate the bomb and give Japan a chance to surrender. But Oppenheimer, his misgivings concealed, defends the authority of the government to make that decision, rationalising that the government “knows more” than the scientists. He says this knowing that the decision to bomb Japan has already been made; targets are being evaluated, ranked by their ability to bring “shock and awe”. The only thing that remains is the test. And you thought science was just the dispassionate pursuit of
Part of what gives Doctor Atomic its power is that the libretto is fabulously constructed from actual letters and reports of the day, along with a healthy dose of poetry. The minimalist, moody music of composer John Adams (a minimalism best known from the opera Nixon in China) brings to life the tensions of the scientific endeavour while meditating on war and peace, life and death, and humanity’s relationship to nature.
As the night of the test arrives, we see nature struggle to hold onto its supremacy. A massive electrical storm threatens to strike the bomb before it is detonated, while unpredictable winds threaten to inundate local communities with radioactive fallout. The government meteorologist is ordered to predict good weather. By contrast, the Tewa Pueblo Indians, who tried to live in harmony with nature, are reduced to menial labourers: cleaners and nannies.
Come morning, nature ceases her struggle. The sky clears and on July 16, the fi rst atomic bomb is detonated. Nature has been subjugated; the atomic age begins.
The New York season of this opera may have ended, but the London season at the English National Opera begins in late February; so if you’re fascinated by science and enjoy opera, don’t pass up the opportunity to see Doctor Atomic.
