The idea was a good one—taking a major historical event and setting it to music—not just any music, but operatic music. After all, an opera could surely transform the meeting of East and West, Democracy and Communism into mythical proportion, when most of the players themselves had already achieved immortality.
Modern technology brought magic to the set, taking the audience into the air and landing on the runway in Beijing. Three and a half hours later, the audience realized they were still in the clouds as they left the opera house sour-faced and puzzled. The famous Nixon salute was greatly appreciated at the very beginning of the first act. After that, not a crackle.
As with most things, great energy is put into a work but the outcome is often less than desirable. We keep trying. For Nixon, his visit to China was a turning point in history, although not so memorable in an opera.
