Nixon in China libretto – Opera Arias

Act One Scene 1: Nixon’s arrival. (The airfield outside Peking. It is a very cold, clear, dry morning; Monday, February 21, 1972; the air is full of static electricity. No airplanes are arriving; there is the odd note of birdsong. Finally, from behind some buildings, come the sounds of troops marching. Contingents of army, navy and air force – 120 men of each service – circle the field and begin to sing “The Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points of Attention”)