Philip Glass's AKHNATEN
Presented by: The Metropolitan Opera HD Live
When
Approximate running time: 3 hours and 56 minutes
Venue
Event Notes
Akhnaten (Philip Glass) MET PREMIERE /FIRST TIME IN HD
November 23, 2019, at 12:55PM ET
Conductor: Karen Kamensek
Production: Phelim McDermott Set Designer: Tom Pye
Costume Designer: Kevin Pollard Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet Choreographer: Sean Gandini
Cast: Dísella Lárusdóttir (Queen Tye), J'Nai Bridges (Nefertiti), Anthony Roth Costanzo (Akhnaten), Aaron Blake (High Priest of Amon), Will Liverman (Horemhab), Richard Bernstein (Aye), Zachary James (Amenhotep)
Phelim McDermott, whose productions include the hugely successful Satyagraha by Philip Glass, returns to the Met with a new staging of Glass's Akhnaten, conducted by Karen Kamensek in her Met debut. Anthony Roth Costanzo sings the title role of the Egyptian pharaoh who attempted to inspire his people to adopt a new religion, abandoning the worship of the old gods for that of a single deity. In her Met debut, J'Nai Bridges sings the role of Nefertiti, Akhnaten's bride, and Dísella Lárusdóttir is Queen Tye, the pharaoh's mother.
One of the staging's distinctive visual features is provided by the Gandini Juggling Company, whose movements are perfectly choreographed with the orchestral score. This production of Akhnaten was originally created by LA Opera, Improbable, and English National Opera, where it premiered, winning the 2017 Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production.
The live broadcasts of the Met Opera season is sponsored locally by .
Lecture Calendar
Oct 26 | Massenet's Manon |
Nov 23 | Glass's Akhnaten |
Feb 1 | The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess |
Feb 29 | Handel's Agrappina |
Apr 11 | Puccini's Tosca |
Oct 12 | Puccini's Turandot |
Nov 9 | Puccini's Madam Butterfly |
Jan 11 | Berg's Wozzeck |
Mar 14 | Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer |
May 9 | Donzetti's Maria Strada |