MET 2019/2020 - Philip Glass: Akhnaten
Opera Broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera, MET premier, first time in HD, 211 min, 2019
In several languages with English and Hungarian subtitles
Director: Phelim McDermott
Conductor: Karen Kamensek, 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 Costanzosings the title role ofthe 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 Bridgessingsthe 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 Akhnatenwas originally created by LA Opera, Improbable, and English National Opera, where it premiered, winning the 2017 Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production.
