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Doctor Atomic

Opera

Writers: John Adams Peter Sellars

Songs

Act One

Overture

  • ‘We believed that “energy can be neither created nor destroyed”� - Chorus

Scene 1

  • ‘The end of June 1945� - Chorus
  • ‘First of all let me say� - Teller, Oppenheimer
  • ‘We surround the plutonium core� - Women’s chorus
  • ‘We are bedeviled by faulty detonators� - Oppenheimer, Teller, Wilson
  • ‘The test must go on as scheduled� - Oppenheimer, Teller, Chorus
  • ‘Our only hope is to convince ev'rybody� - Teller, Wilson, Oppenheimer

Scene 2

Scene 3

  • Electrical Storm
  • ‘What the hell is wrong with the weather?� - Groves, Oppenheimer, Hubbard
  • ‘Five hundred U.S. Superfortresses are raining bombs� - Groves, Hubbard, Oppenheimer
  • ‘I’ll sign the report, sir� - Hubbard, Groves
  • ‘With respect, sir, anyone with two good eyes� - Nolan, Groves, Oppenheimer
  • ‘I have been preoccupied with many matters� - Groves, Nolan, Oppenheimer
  • ‘Get them out of here� - Groves, Oppenheimer
  • ‘General, you are bearing up with remarkable fortitude� - Oppenheimer, Groves
  • ‘Batter my heart� - Oppenheimer

Act Two

Scene 1

Scene 2

  • ‘It’s midnight, Jack� - Wilson, Hubbard
  • ‘I’ve dreamed the same dream� - Wilson, Pasqualita
  • ‘To the farthest west, the sea� - Kitty, Pasqualita
  • ‘A delay in the Potsdam Ultimatum� - Groves, Pasqualita,
  • ‘Fermi is taking wagers� - Teller, Groves, Oppenheimer
  • ‘I’ve spent a great deal of time indulging� - Teller, Oppenheimer
  • ‘Edward, the test will be delayed an hour� - Teller, Oppenheimer, Hubbard, Pasqualita

Scene 3, Countdown Part 1

  • ‘Panic� - Chorus
  • ‘This program has been plagued from the start� - Groves, Offstage Voice, Chorus, Oppenheimer
  • ‘To keep the weakness secret� - Oppenheimer, Kitty, Pasqualita, Wilson, Chorus
  • ‘The winter dawned, but the dead did not come back� - Pasqualita, Kitty, Oppenheimer,
  • ‘The only saviors are the ham sandwiches� - Teller
  • ‘At the Sight of This� - Chorus

Scene 4, Countdown Part II

  • ‘Lieutenant Bush, keep a weather eye on Oppenheimer� - Groves, Teller, Chorus
  • ‘To what benevolent demon� - Oppenheimer, Chorus
  • ‘That’s their signal!� - Oppenheimer
  • ‘The sky is clear to the east� - Hubbard, Pasqualita
  • ‘In the midnight, in the flame-brilliant midnight� - Kitty
  • ‘Zero minus two minutes� - Oppenheimer, Teller
  • ‘Countdown� - Chorus

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.


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