Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Having awarded the CD of 'El Nino' a 10 square rating in CR68 I was not surprised to se the DVD gain a Gramophone award. And now your reviewer has seen (as opposed to heard) the full performance. It is as good as one expected. Of course as an opera or, more accurately, a post-modern oratorio, 'El Nino' was written to be experienced as a whole. Your reviewer is struggling to find words to describe the visual impact as director Peter Sellars juxtaposes video and stage images with John Adams' sublime music. Soloists are Dawn Upshaw, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Willard White but it is wrong to draw attention to the stars when what we have is a true ensemble performance of a compelling Nativity story. So please Mr Editor, can we give it more than 10 out of 10?

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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