A week from today, the opera Dr. Atomic will air on Channel 13 – WNET as part of the Great Performances series. I saw the opera during an HD broadcast in a theatre and reviewed the first Act posted on November 25.

Here are my thoughts on the mini-doc we saw during Intermission:

After the curtain fell, diva host Susan Graham interviewed composer John Adams. In a short documentary, she asked about the extent to which 17th century poetry related to The Manhattan Project, to which Adams replied that he saw Oppenheimer as a lost soul who nourished himself with poetry. He felt alone, as do many people today, and sought some sign, going so far as to learn to read Sanskrit. “He was one of the most cultured scientists who ever lived,” Adams said.

Graham wondered why Adams chose this topic. Adams replied that the opera tells a human story as much as a physics story, and noted that there were plenty of concrete documents and information about how Oppenheimer related to people. Furthermore, as a young boy, Adams’ consciousness was absorbed by the possibility of the world being destroyed. That the topic is the psychic center of our culture, he said, and that it is Faustian; scientists race to save civilization although later they have deep regrets.

I wonder how true this is for younger generations today. I’m a younger babyboomer and did not have to hide under my classroom desk during drills in case of a nuclear attack. I had not even heard of such rehearsals until well into my teens, but during college, my main concern about the environment was nuclear power plant accidents. In fact, I vividly remember the Three Mile Island incident. My husband, who is only six years older than me, was put through the ordeal of sheltering himself under a school desk.

Is the fear for our planet’s survival in the case of a nuclear Holocaust foremost on your mind? Perhaps global warming and saving the planet from carbon emissions is central to your psyche, your expression of concern for our planet’s continued existence. The opera does hint at parallels—“that we’re destroying our nest again,” says Adams. There are lessons to be learned from the treatment of scientists’ and politicians’ obligations to society, as depicted in Dr. Atomic.

Manhattan Project octogenarian alumnus Benjamin Bederson and historian Richard Rhodes next appear, with Bederson admitting that he was thrilled to work on the bomb. Rhodes then remarked that is was the culmination of months of grueling 6-day work-weeks. Interestingly, Bederson commented that Oppenheimer did not believe in compartmentalization and preferred open science. In some ways, the work ethic seems like the software development marathons of today and the push for open source code (although, of course, the stakes could not possibly be anywhere as high.)

Adams chose to focus on only a few nights before the test, not on depicting the destruction of the Oppenheimer as a public figure and his personal anguish later. Rhodes and Bederson commented on the annihilation of Oppenheimer’s reputation, however, after he openly voiced his regrets and was accused of Communist leanings. Rhodes said Oppenheimer felt humiliated by no longer having security clearance and that it broke his spirit.

And that is perhaps why the story seeped into Adams’ heart, as he said, as well as his mind.

I’ll post about Act II in a few days.

- Karen A. Frenkel
For information about me please visit my website, www.karenafrenkel.com