The Death Of Klinghoffer Part 2

In the first act of the Death of Klinghoffer, both the Palestinian and Jewish sides of the story were laid down right at the beginning of the opera. As the act progressed, the different nationalities of the world represented on board the Achille Lauro were dragged into the conflict between the two sides.

For much of the second half of the opera, the drama focuses on Klinghoffer and his terrorist captors. Klinghoffer is not about to be terrorized, and instead flings insults back as his captors. The climax comes when the Palestinians finally decide the most expedient move would be to kill Klinghoffer. After shooting him and throwing his body overboard, they announce that every fifteen minutes, another person would suffer the same fate.

One of the most surreal arias ever written follows next. This is the Aria of the Falling Body, sung by Klinghoffer himself. It depicts the body as it slowly sinks to the bottom of the Mediterranean sea as its finally watery grave. On stage illusions are done to depict an object that symbolizes Klinghoffer's body as it slowly descends towards the bottom.

At the end, the captain is confronted with the difficult task of informing Klinghoffer's wife of the end that has befallen her husband. As he tells her, Mrs. Klinghoffer reacts with an attitude of disdain towards the captain. She is not convinced that the captain had done all that he could have for the situation. The opera then concludes at that point, with no real resolution to the tragedy that has just occurred, or even an explanation of what becomes of the terrorists, the crew, and the passengers aboard the Achille Lauro.

This opera is controversial, yet it raises a lot of pertinent and highly relevant questions for us in the modern day world, especially in America. This entire hemisphere has been settled by people who immigrated from other parts of the world, and settled alongside natives, as well as immigrants from other countries who also came to call these shores home.

The main problem that befalls us, is that all of the characters in this opera could very well be our neighbors. There are Palestinian Americans as well as Jewish Americans. The Swiss and Austrian passengers as well as the Italian sailors could have relatives who reside in our hemisphere. In addition, this conflict has been going on for generations. Adams possibly was correct in having decided to end the opera where he did. It is a stark story which tells us of the harsh reality which faces us. Two different nationalities, claiming the same piece of land. One was given it as a means of protection against potential future genocides. In the other, there are extremists who wish to eliminate the former.

Yet another reason that makes Adams such an example of an American composer is that in his compositions, he is not afraid to state the facts as they are. While he does give a voice to the ethnicities of this hemisphere, he does so by telling them what needs to be said.