The first three Met Live in HD productions this year weren't of any great interest to me: they showed Turandot, Manon, and Madama Butterfly, all in productions that had already been in HD years prior. If you have a new production, then by all means show it, but I just can't get excited about repeats like this. Maybe they put asses in seats, but considering that there are only ten LiHD productions a year...do something a little more daring, dammit. Something like the Met premiere of a Philip Glass opera. Please. That's more like it.
Actually, I can't claim to have known all that much about Glass before this. I have seen Koyaanisqatsi, which he scored, but that's about all and it was a long time ago. All I know is that his music is supposed to be repetitive and hypnotic. As indeed such it is here. This is about a historical pharaoh who instituted monotheism (Sun worship) in Egypt before being overthrown by conservative forces who did not appreciate this sort of radicalism. Well, that's what they say. I suppose the truth is probably more complicated. But at any rate, that's the story of the opera.
Well, such story as it has. This is very abstract, very slow, very ritualistic. The story is basically the above: Akhnaten becomes pharaoh, is in love with his wife, overthrows the dominant religious order, declares the Sun's supremacy, and is in turn overthrown and killed. This is all on a mythic level, with character never becoming any more specific than that. The libretto consists mostly of ancient texts sung in the original languages, with some parts (notably Akhnaten's centerpiece hymn to the Sun) in English. This Met production isn't subtitled; there are just title cards between scenes briefly summarizing the action. It's not a problem; the specifics of the text are more or less beside the point.
It's an amazing spectacle, perfectly stylized. Words I feel can scarcely do it justice...which is why I'm sticking a bunch of images here what I found on the internet. One will notice that it involves juggling; this is a visually striking element that serves as a great counterpoint to the music. According to one of the backstage interviews, Glass himself liked it enough that he declared it was now an integral part of the opera. So there you go.
The two most striking pieces are a love duet between Akhnaten and his wife Nefertiti and the scene of his final downfall and death. As noted, the music is very repetitive, and the production is filled with slow motion and it works beautifully. This is seriously one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Totally mesmerising. I am on the fence about whether or not I would like it if I just listened to the score (well, I'm sure I would if I were stoned to the gills, but that's kind of a given), but as an audiovisual piece it has few peers. All the performers are great, notable countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo in the title role and J'Nai Bridges (in her Met debut--what a way to kick things off) as Nefertiti. A huge triumph. The Met needs more stuff like this. I know a lot of critics really hate Glass, but I've gotta say, I'm a newly-minted fan.
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