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“John Adams's stylistic range is vast, yet even in such a diverse output, I Was Looking at the Ceilingand Then I Saw the Sky (1995) stands apart. Conceived, in the composer's words, as 'a Broadwaystyle show', it draws its musical inspiration from popular song, moving from doo-wop to gospel, from pop ballad to the blues. The text, a poetic piece of social and political commentary by June Jordan, introduces us to seven young Angelenos whose intertwined lives are transformed by the 1994 Northridge earthquake. There's no recitative, no spoken dialogue; the story is told through song and ensemble. This posed a problem when Nonesuch issued a composer-conducted recording of excerpts in 1998, cutting seven of the 22 vocal numbers. Here, Naxos gives us the complete score.
It hard to state that the narrative flows a whole lot more smoothly when the show is heard in its entirety. There are still quite a few jarring gaps, although one certainly gets a better sense of the characters as well as a heightened sense of drama. Missing from the Nonesuch recording, for example, was the crucial post-earthquake scene involving Tiffany, Mike and Rick – the score's longest number.
As for the performance: the Freiburg-based Holst-Sinfonietta Band plays its intricate part with tightly coiled energy for conductor Klaus Simon; the mostly German cast copes reasonably well with the different American dialects (only Lilith Gardell's Tiffany fails to convince); and although the women's voices can turn shrill Adams Opera when pressed, all the singers sound fresh and youthful. Indeed, Martina Mühlpointner may not have the extraordinary tonal richness of Audra McDonald (Nonesuch) but her wideeyed rendition of 'Consuelo's Dream' – one of the piece's prettiest and most effective numbers – is also deeply affecting. Not all the songs in Ceiling/Sky are as successful as this one but I'd guess that there's enough here to make this daring experiment in American musical theatre attractive to more than just Adams's fans.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…Alsop balances rhythmic drive with careful pointers to Adams's later, more lyrical achievements… Robert Orth gives a remarkable sung impression of the president's speaking voice… Tracy Dahl (Madame Mao) and Maria Kanyova (Pat) comfortably outshine their boyish predecessors.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2009

“Marin Alsop might not topple de Waart off his default top-spot, but she does provide a strikingly different performance that forms a worthy counterpoint to his...here you hear the machinery of Adams’s writing: bright, alert, lucid, occasionally thin, but brilliantly textured.” Andrew Mellor, bbc.co.uk, 21st December 2009

“…Marin Alsop is the persuasive conductor of this live recording from Opera Colorado's 2008 production. Robert Orth is powerful yet detailed in the title-role, and Maria Kanyova sings the neurotic Pat Nixon with great intensity. Tracy Dahl is strong in Madame Mao's coloratura, and there are good performances from Thomas Hammons (Kissinger) and Marc Heller (Mao Tse-tung)...” Gramophone Magazine, December 2009

“Alsop has this music in her very being, and her version is cast from strength. Robert Orth is a strong Nixon and his wife Pat is intensely and sympathetically characterized by Maria Kanyova. But Tracy Dahl steals the shows in her sympathetic portrayal of Madame Mao, particularly in the coloratura of the closing Act. An unforgettable set.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“ It’s tremendous fun — full of lush, old-fashioned melodies, showbizzy orchestration, rip-roaring ensembles and pastiche hymns, spirituals and gospel numbers. Darker and deeper than Lewis’s original, it deserves a European staging. Punchy, characterful singing and feisty playing from the Milwaukee Symphony.” The Times, 13th August 2011 ****

“Domingo is unquestionably moving and makes a good case for having added the title role to his huge gallery of characters; his dark tone can still be thrilling and he is a more committed actor than many of his colleagues. …Sondra Radvanovsky matches him as a spirited Roxane, using her gleaming soprano to musical effect. Michal Znaniecki's traditionally costumed production... works effectively enough in tandem with Patrick Fournillier's light-textured conducting.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2010 ****

“Domingo's…voice is also caught in marvellously fine condition. This may well be the heroic last act in his career as the world's greatest tenor, and in the final scene especially his performance is intensely moving.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2010

“the sets are simple but effective...Sondra Radvanovsky makes for an impressive Roxane...Domingo’s voice remains remarkably powerful and eloquent, even if the high notes are noticeably effortful once or twice. His death scene is genuinely touching...The performance is well filmed, visually, with some split screens from different camera angles and the occasional slow-motion reminiscence of earlier action” Opera Britannia, 30th June 2011 ***/****

“The performance itself is really very good. The period instrument band has plenty of character, and bounces along with great industry and skill under the sympathetic baton of Marcos Magalhães, who also produces some imaginative touches in his playing of the recitatives...The cast is well suited to the music, and manage all the difficulties in the sometimes elaborate parts with poise, and sometimes more.” MusicWeb International, January 2013

“The short-breathed songs bubble with exuberance and unexpected inventiveness and the performances by the light-voiced soloists of Toronto's Aradia Ensemble are sparkling.” The Observer, 11th April 2010