# Live from the Met: Akhnaten by Philip Glass



## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

So, I generally can't stand countertenors. And my favorite opera composers are all Romantic/verismo, e.g. Puccini, Verdi, Wagner. And Anthony Roth Costanzo sings the (surely) incredibly difficult part while jugglers are throwing bowling pins past his head. What could go wrong? 

OTOH, there are small bits of Glass' music that I have come to like. I have an old CD of "The Civil Wars: A Tree is Best Measured When It Is Down" Act V: The Rome Version with Sondra Radvanovsky, Denyce Graves, and Giuseppe Sabbatini et al. and I found it a compelling (if mystifying) listen.

I think I am going to attend this opera with zero expectations other than hopefully to be entertained. Perhaps I am getting more open-minded in my dotage (not a bad thing). I am beginning to study Swedish, and right now it is as mystifying as Glass's music. So I am trying to suspend understanding and want to merely absorb. 

And thus endeth my tale. I'm sure I'll have more to say after next Saturday's performance in the local movie theater (sorry, no cinemas in SW Virginia).

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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## marceliotstein (Feb 23, 2019)

Hope you'll let us know what you think! I'm attending this opera December 4, and have been listening steadily to a recording of the work. I have enjoyed Philip Glass's work (like "Wichita Vortex Sutra") before, but am having trouble finding an entry point into this music. So many arpeggios. Such a dominating, relentless sonic texture. I have a feeling the staging and story and visual effects will win me over and I'll love "Akhnaten", but at this moment I am not feeling any love at all for the Dennis Russell Davies recording I am listening to. Is it this recording's fault?


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I saw the trailer and decided no way am I going to sit through this.


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## Argopo (Dec 26, 2014)

I went to last night's performance and I thoroughly enjoyed the opera. Anthony Roth Costanzo was outstanding, as were the other singers. Zachary James as Amenhotep III (the Narrator) was also exceptional.

The juggling was well integrated with the opera and not just a side show.

But a few things:

1. Be rested and caffeinated before attending. The opera requires your committed attention. 
2. The movement and action on the stage is half-paced with slow movements from the singers. Which works with the meditative pacing of the music. The stage direction reminds me of the film "The Color of the Pomegranates": https://www.criterion.com/films/29219-the-color-of-pomegranates
3. Make sure to read up on the synopsis or the background of the opera. The narration is in English, but the vocal text is in various ancient languages. I don't think subtitles were provided (since no one seemed to have them turned on).

The Met did provide us with a seven page handout which includes the above and some program notes.

Highly recommended.


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## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

DavidA said:


> I saw the trailer and decided no way am I going to sit through this.


I imagine we all had to put up with a long interview and rehearsal of singers and jugglers during the Turandot screening :lol:


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I'd love to see this opera some day (I imagine it will come round to ENO again). I've only seen two Glass operas The Trial and Satyagraha. Whilst I understand what he is doing with the music, it has limited appeal for me. I feel the same way about Adams, so perhaps minimalism isn't my thing. I much prefer Ades, Nono, Berio and Birtwistle.

N.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. At the very least I'll be entertained by the circus-like atmosphere.
I hope that Glass is half-full this time instead of half-empty.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

nina foresti said:


> I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. At the very least I'll be entertained by the circus-like atmosphere.
> I hope that Glass is half-full this time instead of half-empty.


Hope you enjoy it!


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

DavidA said:


> I saw the trailer and decided no way am I going to sit through this.


May I ask why? It looks fascinating ... utterly unlike anything I have seen in the opera house. And definitely more appealing than some of those horrible Regietheater productions of Wagner and the like.

Have said that (and asked that), it's _á chacun son goût._

Edit: I should have read through the remainder of the thread.

Howling? That is awfully unkind.

Kind regards,

George


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## sharkeysnight (Oct 19, 2017)

"Open are the double doors of the horizon!"

Sad I'll miss this, hoping to catch an encore performance as it's the last of his portrait trilogy I haven't seen. The sonic textures are so beautiful and unique (no violins!) and Akhenaten is a great vehicle for the alien contemplation of Glass's music. Theoretically I understand why people are put off by his music, but I find it so moving and intriguing. It's like the teasing, relentless logic of Bach (the musical conclusion promised and outlined, but withheld for as long as possible) married to the endless vistas of Indian ragas, and the actual musical tones defy a concrete suggestion of meaning, making it mystical and evocative, like perfume.

The structure of the portrait opera goes well with the music, and it's good to think of it as being like "slow looking" at museums. There's lots to absorb!


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

sharkeysnight said:


> " it's the last of his portrait trilogy


Please explain. Are there two earlier, related operas?

Kind regards,

George


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Barelytenor said:


> Please explain. Are there two earlier, related operas?
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> George


Einstein on the Beach and Satyagraha. Whilst they aren't different installments of the same story like The Ring, they are all biographies of historical figures and I believe were written as a trilogy (although I haven't heard of them being performed as a series).

N.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Fervently hoping for a DVD.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

The Conte said:


> Einstein on the Beach and Satyagraha. Whilst they aren't different installments of the same story like The Ring, they are all biographies of historical figures and I believe were written as a trilogy (although I haven't heard of them being performed as a series).
> 
> N.


Thank you for that Conte and I agree with you amfortas!

Kind regards,

George


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## sharkeysnight (Oct 19, 2017)

The Conte said:


> Einstein on the Beach and Satyagraha. Whilst they aren't different installments of the same story like The Ring, they are all biographies of historical figures and I believe were written as a trilogy (although I haven't heard of them being performed as a series).
> 
> N.


If I remember correctly, I believe the very end of Akhnaten also quotes the opening tones of Einstein on the Beach, suggesting a cycle. I don't think they've ever been performed as such, but they do make a neat package - Satyagraha about hope and progress, Akhnaten about hope and loss, and Einstein about hope and eternity. It'd be interesting to see a company actually put on all three one after the other.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

sharkeysnight said:


> If I remember correctly, I believe the very end of Akhnaten also quotes the opening tones of Einstein on the Beach, suggesting a cycle. I don't think they've ever been performed as such, but they do make a neat package - Satyagraha about hope and progress, Akhnaten about hope and loss, and Einstein about hope and eternity. It'd be interesting to see a company actually put on all three one after the other.


Einstein on the Beach, all by itself, is as long as all three one after the other.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

I sat through all 4-plus hours (without intervals) of Einstein, the most austere of Glass's "biography" trilogy, and found it a wonderful experience. Akhenaten and Satyagraha (both of which I've also seen) are even more accessible, so people need have no fear of either.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

I quite enjoyed this when I saw it at Los Angeles Opera three years ago. I have a ticket for tomorrow morning's relay, but I might decide I need to rest instead. What's pushing me to go is how good this was and how unlikely it is that there will be any sort of video release. I expect, as with _Satyagraha_, it won't even show up on Met's streaming service.

Here's my review from when I saw it. It seems like other than than Dísella Lárusdóttir as Queen Tye (instead of Stacey Tappan), the singers I named are performing again tomorrow.



mountmccabe said:


> I saw the 11/17 performance of _Akhnaten_ at Los Angeles Opera.[...]
> 
> The opera itself was spectacular. Anthony Roth Costanzo continues to amaze. This isn't as narrative as many operas and most of the pieces are rather distancing, but he has a rich and compelling voice. His hymn was beautiful, and his English was clear. His voice sounded wonderful with J'Nai Bridges as Nefertiti and Stacey Tappan as Queen Tye. The duet between Akhnaten and Nefertiti was acted stylistically rather than passionately, but it was wonderful to hear the focus on their voices together.
> 
> ...


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

The Conte said:


> Einstein on the Beach and Satyagraha. Whilst they aren't different installments of the same story like The Ring, they are all biographies of historical figures and I believe were written as a trilogy (although I haven't heard of them being performed as a series).
> 
> N.


There was a pre-performance interview with Philip Glass when I saw Akhnaten three years ago. Matthew Aucoin (a composer, and conductor for that performance) led the interview.



mountmccabe said:


> Glass also said the the thread through this trilogy was social change through nonviolent means. Science, politics, then religion.
> Glass said the fourth [topic for an opera] would be the press. Aucoin asked if Glass was planning such an opera and Glass laughed a little nervously, and said he was too intimidated by the idea and didn't know how he would do it.


I don't think there was any plan to do a set when they started _Einstein on the Beach_, but my impression is that as the other two were written they were thought of as linked.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

As a performer I can only imagine what Anthony Roth Costanzo must be feeling this morning. I wonder how you count Glass rhythmically? "1-2-3 2-2-3 3-2-3 4-2-3 ... 75-2-3 76-2-3 77-1-2-3-4 78 1-2-3-4 " 

Anyway. I'm pumped and simultaneously hope I don't hate it. I had an old VCR of Satyagraha about 20 years ago and couldn't get through a half an hour. But as I discussed, I think I'm getting more open-minded in my dotage ... unlike some folks here.

Kind regards,

George


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## gellio (Nov 7, 2013)

The music is absolutely breathtaking and interesting. I am generally not a fan of minimalism, but I find the music of _Akhnaten_ mesmerizing. I also like Glass's _The Canyon_ and _Symphony No. 9_.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Barelytenor said:


> I had an old VCR of Satyagraha about 20 years ago and couldn't get through a half an hour. B


Now that I ponder more, I think it may have been Koyannitsqaatsi that I couldn't abide.

More later!

Best

G


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

Barelytenor said:


> Now that I ponder more, I think it may have been Koyannitsqaatsi that I couldn't abide.
> 
> More later!
> 
> ...


The film and music are pure genius, IMHO.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

*One Man's Opinion: Akhnaten*

Where to begin? I tried my best to remain non-judgmental and merely absorb the experience, but that just so goes against my nature. After all, we all choose the art (or lack of art) that we consume every day.

Many critics about Glass being a "brilliant composer" or that is music is "genius." But I have never heard anyone describe him as a melodist. And certainly not as a dramatist.

Before I went to Akhnaten yesterday, I was thinking about what singularly appeals to me in opera. It comes down to two things, melody and drama. Everyone loves a "big tune." And as a singer, I certainly do. I also appreciate good settings of text, and knowing/learning the Italian/German/French/Russian words of that music. (I have made a lifelong study of languages as part of my serious commitment to being a good singer, even if the professional aspect has long since passed me by.)

And I thought about another Egyptian opera, Aïda.

Glass' approach to Akhnaten leaves us at a distant, ceremonial remove from the characters initially, and seldom does he give us tools and reasons to actually care about the characters. The Met actually reinforced this sterile emotional distance by showing very few subtitles. A lot of the words were in (I guess) ancient Egyptian. It's almost like looking at an Egyptian frieze. If that was his aim, he was successful.

Akhnaten is an opera in four acts, and the first act opens with the death of Amenhotep III, father of Amenhotep IV who later changes his name to Akhnaten, "spirit of Aten," the sun god. We have no information on these characters, and they move slowly in stylized half-time. None of their music makes us like them, or feel concern for their plight. The "words" to the music are inaccessible. The only person I actually felt sorry for was the poor juggler who dropped his balls twice, each time having to show remorse to the sun god. Or something.

Amenhotep's heart is removed and weighed against a feather to determine if he will pass into the afterlife. Amenhotep's son is crowned the new pharaoh. After, he ascends the stairs to make his first statement in "The Window of Appearances." This is one of the most popular set pieces in the opera, apparently. But like so much of the opera, it felt like a missed opportunity. He announces his dedication to "one creator, one maker of all things." (Fortunately, there are some YouTube performances with subtitles.) The whole piece is an eight-minute arpeggio in A minor. It's Akhnaten (powerfully acted and well-sung by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo) singing solo at the beginning, later joined by Queen Tye, soprano, his (recently widowed) mother, and his wife Nefertiti, mezzo. All the words are in Egyptian. No subtitles from the Met. (Sigh.) The "melody" is a simple motif repeated over and over by Akhnaten, then harmonized by the two female voices.

Glass' music is described as "mesmerizing" and "dazzling." Well that may be well and good, but I don't want to be hypnotized. I want to feel passion and care about the characters. I want some good tunes! It is only in Act II where Akhnaten sings his private thoughts in English that I actually care about what happened to him. And even there, the "melody" was a simplistic motif, not at all memorable.

Compare this with Aïda, where (accompanied by some bang-up music and intelligible lyrics) we almost immediately start to care about the characters and their passions. Glass largely eschews all that.

Look, I know that we can't remain stuck musically in 1850. And unlike some folks who described this (without hearing it) as "awful howling," I recognize that it has some appeal, even for me. The music is innovative, even to the point of having no violins in the orchestra which gives it a rather low center of gravity. But it could have been so much better. There is a love duet central to Act II where Akhnaten and Nefertiti bond and swear their love. But it's another missed opportunity. "O dolci mani" it ain't. Instead, they sing "Ah! Ah! Ah!" about 86 times, or 142.

This is all one man's opinion. I enjoyed the production immensely, but all the juggling and the incomprehensible chorus shouting, all the dropping balls, sun scenery, fairly came across as an apology for the lack of musical or dramatic or vocal interest.

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

Great write up. 

I find the minimalist approach most captivating but I also know I am in the minority. 

:tiphat:


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## crmoorhead (Apr 6, 2011)

I really loved it, although I had to fight dozing off in a couple of places - a combination of sitting in the dark, irregular sleep patterns and hypnotic music. The music is pretty much as you expect from Glass, although the hymn to the sun god was a really beautiful aria. 

I mainly went because it looked aesthetically fantastic from the images I saw in the advertisements and it did not disappoint. Very interesting to hear the singers' take on that kind of composition. "Very trancelike" and worlds away from the regular repertoire (another reason to see it as when might they show something like that again?) but opera is an art form and the abstraction is not a bad thing. The criticisms I would have are that I thought the juggling a bit distracting, especially when people dropped balls on stage, and I didn't see the point in it much. Because the pace is slow, the cast also move around a lot very slowly attempting to recreate scenes from an Egyptian fresco, but I guess there is very little to give them to do in a Glass opera. 

As others have said, the lead role was beautifully performed and the female lead was also highly impressive in terms of being visually stunning for the part. I would definitely see it again if given the chance! I tried Einstein on the Beach, but didn't enjoy it so much. I might have another go at it. I would like to try Satyagraha first though.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

crmoorhead said:


> I mainly went because it looked aesthetically fantastic from the images I saw in the advertisements and it did not disappoint.


I think this really touches Glass's main strength -- he can write music for images. The high point of this IMO is not the collaborations with Robert Wilson, but the score for Godfrey Reggio's film _Koyaanisqatsi_. This seems to me to be a major success






When he writes purely instrumental music I think it's less interesting, often worse than that -- pompous and solemn. In my opinion this is crap, for example


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

Art is such a individual experience.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Barelytenor said:


> Where to begin? I tried my best to remain non-judgmental and merely absorb the experience, but that just so goes against my nature. After all, we all choose the art (or lack of art) that we consume every day.
> 
> Many critics about Glass being a "brilliant composer" or that is music is "genius." But I have never heard anyone describe him as a melodist. And certainly not as a dramatist.
> 
> ...


Very much what I thought of Satyagraha. The music is very beautiful, but not operatic to my taste and after five minutes I have got the point and don't need any more of it.

I much prefer Thomas Ades or other composers whose operas are more dramatically engaging. (I also like some plotless operas by Nono and Berio that I have seen, but that have complex texts that make them more interesting. (The texts are meant to be followed rather than just part of the aural atmosphere of the work.)

N.


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_three


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## marceliotstein (Feb 23, 2019)

I enjoyed reading the various reactions here to "Akhnaten" at the Met. I also attended, the final evening performance last Wednesday, and my reaction was positive, mixed, and generally along the same lines as the other reactions here. The staging was unforgettably wonderful, including all the representations of the sun. The music is - yes, hypnotic - and yes, to quote Barelytenor, I'm also not sure I want to be hypnotized at the Met. The musical textures seemed to me to present less variety than a Mozart or Verdi or Wagner opera, which is not to say that the music itself lacked variety. Each of the nearly infinite arpeggios were apparently different and ever-changing - but it felt like a sonic barrage of arpeggios. The last time I heard so many arpeggios in one evening was a four-hour Phish concert.

I also found the juggling less thrilling than other aspects of the opera. One unpleasant side effect for me was that I found myself watching to see if a ball would be dropped. (I did not, in the end, see a single mistake.) I did like the way the jugglers allowed themselves to drop the balls as part of the routine during Akhnaten's death scene.

One thing that really added to the experience for me was the audience's enthusiasm. The Met was packed on a Wednesday night, which almost never happens. The energy in the room was palpable, and the opera clearly sustained the energy through to the enthusiastically received curtain calls. I'm happily imagining that the success of this opera must mean that we'll be doing more Philip Glass at the Met. It wasn't the easiest opera experience I ever had, but it was rewarding, and I'll be back for more.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Barelytenor said:


> Where to begin? I tried my best to remain non-judgmental and merely absorb the experience, but that just so goes against my nature. After all, we all choose the art (or lack of art) that we consume every day.
> 
> Many critics about Glass being a "brilliant composer" or that is music is "genius." But I have never heard anyone describe him as a melodist. And certainly not as a dramatist.
> 
> ...


I watched Akhnaten again today, or some of it. It is more the production and the fantastic juggling troupe and some beautiful costumes and makeup that, er, make up for what it lacks in melody and accessibility. It clocks in at 2:45 in the Met production, but the climax is when the people revolt (in half-time, remember, or maybe it's quarter-time) against Akhnaten and his family and monotheism. Which comes in about 2:00 in the opera. Glass should have cut it there, but instead he shows a new pharaoh being crowned and then bounces to some silliness in the 21st century. I did still find some of the music hypnotizing and compelling, and all those A minor arpeggios are balm to my spirit compared to current-day politics (sorry, won't go further). Sort of like musical anesthesia. So there was that, and it's an effect I've noticed in other Glass/minimalist works. And I guess it's less fattening than drinking Port, so there is that. Good job to Zachary James, a giant bass who can hold the (dead Akhnaten) body of Anthony Roth Constanzo in his arms while making it all the way through a rather lengthy soliloquy.

If you've never experienced it, it's on for another five hours today on my clock. Fast forward is highly recommended for repeat listeners.

Now I'm gonna listen to me some Verdi or Puccini. Do I hear a waltz?

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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