Question on John Adams

prof wrote:

> I have recently purchased the DVD :"Death of Klinghoffer" by J
> Adams,and have viewed it several times. I was interested in knowing if
> he is Jewish. The reason for my interest is that the opera appears to
> show more partiality for the Palestinians than for the Israelis in
> their conflict. I had asssumed he was Jewish , but after viewing the
> DVD I began to wonder.
> Thanks!!

You're saying that one cannot be Jewish and yet sympathize
with the Palestinians' plight? Are all Jews, by definition,
pro-Israeli? (As well say one cannot be a patriotic
American, if one opposes our current president and all his
policies!)
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prof wrote:
> I have recently purchased the DVD :"Death of Klinghoffer" by J
> Adams,and have viewed it several times. I was interested in knowing if
> he is Jewish. The reason for my interest is that the opera appears to
> show more partiality for the Palestinians than for the Israelis in
> their conflict. I had asssumed he was Jewish , but after viewing the
> DVD I began to wonder.
> Thanks!!

John Adams is not Jewish and got a lot of flak when this opera
premiered.

I, by the way, am Jewish and not in the least sympathetic with the
Israeli government's treatment of the Palestinians. Nor are most of the
Jews I know.

However this does not affect my operas.

Hans Lick
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prof wrote:
> I have recently purchased the DVD :"Death of Klinghoffer" by J
> Adams,and have viewed it several times. I was interested in knowing if
> he is Jewish. The reason for my interest is that the opera appears to
> show more partiality for the Palestinians than for the Israelis in
> their conflict. I had asssumed he was Jewish , but after viewing the
> DVD I began to wonder.
> Thanks!!

I THINK....I'd need to check this, but isn't it the case that the
LIBRETTIST is/was Jewish, but converted to Anglicanism while
constructing the (ghastly!) libretto?
Leonora
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leonora wrote:

> I THINK....I'd need to check this, but isn't it the case that the
> LIBRETTIST is/was Jewish, but converted to Anglicanism while
> constructing the (ghastly!) libretto?
> Leonora

Yes, I think that's right about Alice Goodman. There's an article here:

http://www.andante.com/article/article.cfm?id=25904

Is the libretto ghastly? I quite like the "Nixon in China" one, as a
libretto anyway - not sure if I would sit down and read it.
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AlisonC wrote:

> Yes, I think that's right about Alice Goodman.

Correction - I'm not quite clear from that at what point she converted.
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I love the virtual "mad scene" by Mrs. Klinghoffer on the DVD, at the
end. It's much more powerful than the CD version, in my opinion.

Adams got a lot of flak for the opera allegedly being pro-Palestinian,
but Mrs. Klinghoffer's character does have the last words, after all,
when she points out that the ship's captain may have been a little too
gracious to the terrorists.

Serse
Los Angeles




AlisonC wrote:
> AlisonC wrote:
>
> > Yes, I think that's right about Alice Goodman.
>
> Correction - I'm not quite clear from that at what point she converted.
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