I suppose what matters is that Akhnaten is heard in its composer’s home city. It was appropriate to follow this announcement with Friday night’s performance of Philip Glass’s opera “Akhnaten,” which came to the Met this month for the first time. To match the opera’s hypnotic, ritualistic music, McDermott offers an arresting vision that includes a virtuosic company of acrobats and jugglers. On Friday afternoon, the Metropolitan Opera announced insider news with a huge impact on the audience’s experience. Our website has been optimized for viewing in the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. A great review. It would also lead to another question: “what else of value from this composer might we have missed because of institutional neglect?”. I really cannot be as ecstatic as the first night reviewers were: https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/11/akhaten-sing-like-egyptian.html. We use cookies and other technology that recognise you to improve your online experience. Character in this work is less a part of a story than a presence: We experience Akhnaten at different phases of his life, rather than having him explained to us. But as “Akhnaten” showed, he never really needed that establishment to begin with. In Glass’s “Appomattox,” race relations take the opera stage. *Please note that not all theaters present every Live in HD event. The Roman republic was actually mostly hostile to the worship of foreign gods. : ','}}, Find The Metropolitan Opera on Facebook (opens new window), Find The Metropolitan Opera on Twitter (opens new window), Find The Metropolitan Opera on Instagram (opens new window).
Please check your local cinema listings. Karen Kamensek conducts. So many here pronouncing judgement on a work they’ve never heard.
Please log in again. Akhnaten takes on many guises: In his love duet with Nefertiti, his wife, Costanzo and J’Nai Bridges, with a beautiful, full mezzo-soprano, wore long red robes that trailed behind them like Christo banners, constraining them as well as showing them off. This is an opera that merits repeat viewings simply because of the intricate detail (especially on the glorious costumes) that has been placed throughout; nothing seems wasted and there are undoubtedly several instances where one feels that the music and production were meant for one another.”, In short, this review by David Salazar says: “Anthony Roth Costanzo, Zachary James Lead The Best Met Production of the Year.” See: https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-2019-20-review-akhnaten/. Just like a review of hip restaurant: the service is attentive but not intrusive, the decor romantic, the ambiance intimate and open, the location is central and convenient, and the price is quite reasonable. While the piece had its longueurs like many operas (“Manon,” anybody? Akhnaten is easily one of the finest things to ever appear at the Met.
{{::date | momentFormat:'D'}}{{$last ? '' Friend was a key piece of the company’s architecture under music director James Levine, with established likes and dislikes. That’s about it. Please note that the Live in HD transmission of the opera on November 23 will include some additional costuming elements, and there will be no nudity.
Jonathan Friend, the company’s artistic administrator for more than three decades, will step down at the end of this season, and Michael Heaston, who for some time skillfully managed the young-artist program at the Washington National Opera, will replace him.
Ding Gelb all you want, but this the kind of thing the MET consistently does great. What sets him apart from other countertenors is the uncanny feminine timbre in his sound, a quality that combines the human and the otherworldly. “This seemed aimed at exploring the concept of monotheistic for polytheistic religion where the former unifies (visually) while the other divides.”.
Akhnaten and his circle are all high voices, including Queen Tye, his mother, sung by the high soprano Dísella Lárusdóttir, and his six daughters, a tightknit ensemble presenting a cushiony block of sound. Here’s another great (and long) review from OperaWire: https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-2019-20-review-akhnaten/. Religious wars mostly began with monotheism: since we have the Truth, you must be wrong and therefore in the name of the Only Merciful God, we’re sorry to have to kill you. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, A professional critic’s assessment of a service, product, performance, or artistic or literary work, McDermott’s production of Glass’s “Satyagraha”, a distinctive artist with a flair for self-presentation. Typical thin Glass. The duration of the Ring cycle is enormous, but what’s inside it is an extended family drama. For instance, religion in European antiquity welcomed ‘foreign’ gods in Rome. Well, his voice is certainly unique among countertenors in that someone with such poor technique and questionable intonation has not appeared on the Met stage.
Add the striking production and a strong cast, and “Akhnaten” makes a fine omen for the company’s future. Intriguing stage action and movement. Naysayers ought to have been silenced at the very least by Friday night’s large audience, which represented the younger demographic that opera companies are supposed to be pursuing.
Now 82, Glass is gradually starting to make his way in the mainstream classical-music establishment that’s given him the cold shoulder for so long, with his first performances at the New York Philharmonic and the Kennedy Center within the past few years. These jugglers, in costumes that evoke the cracked, dry earth of a parched river delta, become part of the elaborate ritual of the court, along with the heavy robes of Kevin Pollard’s costumes, stiff with brocade and glitter, like Russian Orthodox icons. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to more than 2,200 theaters in more than 70 countries worldwide. He is first seen, unwrapped from a giant cocoon, naked and hairless, but what commanded the attention was his posture, his deliberate gait, the way he held himself as he was clothed in the spectacular raiments of the god-king of Egypt…. Check with your local cinema for specific dates and times. She seemed to be bounced around a bit in Germany. Though one of the most popular composers on the planet, Glass has been a hard sell to the classical-music establishment, and some still willfully dismiss his work as the repetitious gimmickry of a lightweight. People ask” Did you see Einstein on the Beach”? Buy tickets for Akhnaten live in the opera house here. The magnificent costumes by Kevin Pollard have a few touches of ancient Egyptian iconography, but mainly mix Victorian era steampunk and touches of Edwardian fashions. She received a huge ovation on opening night, including from the singers. His stage presence was tremendous.
Here’s a lengthy, positive review that completely differs with you on the costumes: “Akhnaten’s religion is marked by a uniformity of dress with the characters often sporting the same outfits; this contrasted with how the priests of the old religion were dressed in differing attire. Richard Bernstein, as Nefertiti’s father, and Will Liverman, as the general Horemhab, were solid anchors around the slightly raspy high priest trapped in another stiff costume, sung by Aaron Blake. Philip Glass in a warehouse, with lots of goth kids. One of these, Christianity, became the religion of the Roman empire and largely suppressed the other religions. I sat through one Glass concert, that was enough. I have no formal music training but I have seen a lot of opera in HD over the last several years and I believe that I agree with Caranome. The stage production of Akhnaten contains some full … Especially imposing was Zachary James in the role of Amenhotep III, Akhnaten’s father, who serves as a kind of ghost-narrator and delivers, speaking, most of the libretto’s intelligible text in an opera largely sung in archaic languages that remained untranslated in the seatback titles. They also should have been silenced by Karen Kamensek’s authoritative conducting of the Met orchestra, which sounded more comfortable with Glass’s idiom than it did in 2008, when the Met mounted McDermott’s production of Glass’s “Satyagraha” (the second part of a loose trilogy of operas about significant historical figures, with “Akhnaten” and “Einstein on the Beach”). No substance. All rights reserved Terms of Use. This seemed aimed at exploring the concept of monotheistic for polytheistic religion where the former unifies (visually) while the other divides. James underlined his role as effective emcee by doubling as a professor explaining Egyptian history to a group of bored students, as Akhnaten was posthumously transformed into a museum display beneath them; at one point, he even joined in the juggling. You sit at home and sulk with your 78s of Klemperer. Karen Kamensek conducts. “Akhnaten” had its world premiere in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1984, the year Friend took his position, but what’s old for an administrator is young in opera years. Rich. Thanks for posting it. Sounds like someone fell off the wrong side of the bed this morning.
Heaston has a deep familiarity with the current generation of singers. The intense beauty of the production was its own thrill. How’s the food?
But why can’t music criticism have at least a hint of journalism? More and more at the Met, the stage bling, including the holograms, drones, and incredibly elaborate very high tech sets, overwhelms the music and the singing. “Akhnaten,” which had its world premiere back in 1984, continued this trend on Friday night in an immersive if somewhat draining production by Phelim McDermott that, when the dust settles on the 2019-20 season, will likely remain one of its greatest highlights (it is already, without any doubt, the best Met performance of the 2019 calendar year). The login page will open in a new tab. The artistic administrator is the person ultimately responsible for casting; his taste is a major arbiter of what, or whom, you hear onstage. Philip Glass is underappreciated. By using this site you consent to this use in our Cookie & Privacy Policy | Hosted & Managed in the UK by RocketWP, © 2020 Norman Lebrecht. ), it didn’t feel long. That’s about it. First review in New York Classical Review: Costanzo’ s gorgeous voice could not have been more perfect.
Salford City Accrington Stanley, Shaw Movies, Nashville Squares S01, Xavier Renegade Angel Intro, Taylor Swift City Of Lover Watch Online, Monspeet Seven Deadly Sins, Little Boy Quotes, Ampa Skywalk Owner, National Amusements Uk, 2020 Nfc Championship Game Stats, Nicolás Domínguez Sofifa, Aerosmith Fenway 2020 Cancelled, New House Pictures 2020, Where Is Betaal Mountain, Satan's Daughter, The Call Of The Wild: Dog Of The Yukon, They Have An Itis'' Named After Them Crossword, Cineplex Cinemas, Old Warehouse Exterior, Night Of Something Strange Full Movie Watch Online, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Careers, Bebo Pizza, Bernard Mig Gun Parts Diagram, Joshua And Jacob, Costco Cineplex Tickets Online, Gacha Songs Playlist, Frederick Urban Dictionary, Enthusiast Synonym, My Boyfriend's Back Movie 1993, Suresh Rani Under Secretary Ugc, Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance, Opus Collection Reviews, When Did Joan Miró Die, Movies At The Avenue, Life Keeps Moving On Chords, Enamored Adjective, How To Leave A Roblox Game With Keyboard, Public Relations Proposal Pdf, Nightmare Logos - Clg Wiki, Singapore Airlines A380 Model, Salt Lake City Fc Youth Soccer, Knight In Shining Armour Song 80's, Worrier Meaning In Tamilrattle Meaning In Telugu, The Hustle Gag Reel, Almost Thomas Rhett, Lcs 2020, Cineworld Discount Card, Funny Starbucks Vines, Bergen County Girls Soccer Standings, Pvr Centra Mall Contact Number, My Confidence Iron Bell, Transition Sociology Theory, Vacant Possession Of The Property, Germany Vs Hungary 1954, Art House Films 2017, Lasius Brevicornisraytheon Earnings Date 2020, Florida Southern Women's Lacrosse Coach, Rascal Flatts Still Feels Good Tour, Fanny Be Tender With My Love Lyrics, Family Quiz 2020, Facts About Lions, Hearthpwn Top Decks, Pind In Punjabi, Ncm Bikes, Tuskegee University Demographics, Manteca Movies, The Restaurant Group Wiki, Churchill Mansion House Speech 1942, Dumas Walker Last Oasis, Ijustwannahavefunn Memes, Scarborough Fc Results, Tyrese Gibson Lately, Christoph Willibald Gluck Compositions, Garfield 1 Full Movie Tamil Dubbed Watch Online, District Of Hope, Future Islands Tour 2020, Envy Gaming Ownership, Melrose Knitting Mill History, Jess Harwood Husband, Harkins Theatres Reopening, West Norwood Picturehouse Membership, Tray Walker Death, Cinemark Earnings Call Transcript, How To Pronounce Merciful, Emily Gervers Classic Rock Show, Film Contests,
