A
musical/
opera with music by
John Adams and
libretto by
June Jordan set during the
1994 Northridge,
California earthquake. The title of the piece is based on a
quote of one of the survivors. Adams and Jordan use the earthquake as a physical
metaphor for the sudden changes in the lives of the characters, a cross-section of Angeleans.
The three central
motifs, as evinced by the
liner notes of the recording, are:
- "I was looking at the ceiling and then I saw the sky."
- Earthquake: Terremoto. Tremblement de terre. Force majere. An "act of God." Destroys, but also brings about change, sometimes for the better.
- Los Angeles: "City of Angels." Sprawl of freeway, billboard, barrio, automobile, palms, churches, low riders, summer heat. A babel of tongues, faces bodies of all shapes and colors. South Central. Watts. The LAPD. The INS. Green cards. Illegal "aliens."
The cast for the recording was:
Consuelo -
Audra McDonald
Dewain -
Michael McElroy
Rick -
Welly Lang
Leila -
Angela Teek
David -
Darius de Haas
Tiffany -
Marin Mazzie
Mike -
Richard Muenz
The songs are:
I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky
A Sermon on Romance
Consuelo's Dream
Mike's Song About Arresting a Particular Individual
Tiffany's Solo
Song About the On-Site Altercation
Song About the Bad Boys and the News
Your Honor My Client He's a Young Black Man
Leila's Song: Alone (Again or at Last)
Three Weeks and Still I'm Outta My Mind
Crushed By the Rock I Been Standing On
Dewain's Song of Liberation and Surprise
¡Este Pais!/This Country
One Last Look at the Angel In Your Eyes
Finale