[139.2] EL NINO STRIKES AGAIN

An extraordinary array of performers will gather in London on 26 and 28 June (a Thursday and a Saturday) to perform John Adams' striking Millennium work, 'El Nino', a stark and unsentimental retelling of the story of the holy family set against a contemporary backdrop of poverty and racism. Unjustly ostracised in some quarters for his powerful opera 'The Death of Klinghoffer', Adams has never shied away from social engagement in his work. The stage production of 'El Nino' combines singers, dancers and a full-length feature film (shot in the deserts and by the ocean in California). Adams himself conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Dawn Upshaw (sop), Willard White (bass-bar), Kirsti Harms (mezzo-sop), London Voices and Theatre of Voices. Tickets from the Barbican Centre. Performances begin at 19:30.