Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia: Nixon in China

About the Event

Valencia’s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía sets the stage for an unforgettable encounter with modern opera. Nixon in China brings diplomatic drama to life, blending political spectacle, personal tension, and cultural exchange into a richly atmospheric theatrical experience.

Nixon in China, Lyricism on CNN, or Solitude and Fear in the Games of Power

A landmark of contemporary minimalist opera, this opera of current affairs, or CNN opera, recounts Richard Nixon’s historic 1972 visit to Mao’s China, exploring the clash between two ideologically opposed worlds, divided and united by the media. John Adams’s rhythmic, hypnotic score and heroic fanfares transform these rigid historical figures into vulnerable human beings, caught between public image and existential doubt, timeless power and image manipulation.

Following her Les Arts debut with Luisa Miller, stage director Valentina Carrasco offers an explosive vision of Nixon in China. Her mise‐en‐scène, among Europe’s great operatic successes of recent years, is imaginative and visually striking, using a surreal aesthetic and pingpong diplomacy as visual and dramaturgical axes to explore power, propaganda, and political mythmaking. The tables symbolise the Cold War, opposing worldviews, and the percussive rhythm of Adams’s compelling music, conducted by Cornelius Meister in celebration of the composer’s 80th birthday. Celebrated baritone Thomas Hampson reprises in Valencia his acclaimed Nixon from the production’s Paris Opera premiere, where critics praised his commanding presence and musical intelligence. German soprano Marlis Petersen, renowned for 20th‐century and contemporary opera and a benchmark Lulu, portrays Nixon’s wife.