|What to Expect from Akhnaten
| WHAT TO EXPECT FROM AKHNATEN IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY, ARCHAEOLOGISTS WORKING ON THE THE WORK: banks of the Nile made a remarkable discovery: some four hundred fragments AKHNATEN of letters addressed to a pharaoh named Akhnaten. The significance of the An opera in three acts, sung in Ancient Egyptian, Akkadian, Hebrew, find was unmistakable, but who was this mysterious pharaoh? Unlike other and English Egyptian leaders, whose towering pyramids, richly decorated tombs, and Music by Philip Glass exquisite temples left an indelible mark on Egypt’s landscape, Akhnaten’s Libretto by Philip Glass, reign was cloaked in mystery. And as archaeologists dug into his legacy, in association with Shalom Goldman, they unearthed a series of religious and social reforms so bold, so counter Robert Israel, Richard Riddell, and to ancient Egyptian traditions, that his successors felt compelled to erase Jerome Robbins all traces of this rebellious leader’s reign. First performed March 24, 1984, at the Staatsoper, Stuttgart, Germany This season, Philip Glass’s landmark opera Akhnaten receives its Metropolitan Opera premiere in an astonishing new production by Phelim PRODUCTION McDermott. A mesmerizing mix of ancient imagery and modern stage Karen Kamensek, Conductor spectacle, McDermott’s production is deeply influenced by Egyptian art Phelim McDermott, Production and artifacts, yet it makes no claim to authentically represent Aknhaten’s Tom Pye, Set and Projection Designer life. Instead, McDermott says, the production attempts to “create a mythical, Kevin Pollard, Costume Designer dreamlike version of ancient Egypt,” one that “communicates what it was Bruno Poet, Lighting Designer like for people in the early 20th century to rediscover this ancient world.” Sean Gandini, Choreographer Star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo agrees.
[Show full text]