By Shari Barrett
LA Opera’s 40th Anniversary Season revival of director Phelim McDermott’s production of Philip Glass’s stately and stupendous opera Akhnaten, conducted by Dalia Stasevska in her company debut, featuring countertenor John Holiday in the title role. Hailed by critics, including this one, and beloved by audiences, this eagerly anticipated revival transports audiences to Ancient Egypt in an enthralling portrait of a trailblazing pharaoh whose belief in just one God (The Sun) doomed him to be stricken from Egyptian history for centuries.
A thought-provoking, trance-inducing and totally absorbing experience, this extraordinary opera is the last of composer Philip Glass’s “portrait trilogy” of operas in which he looks at consequential figures from the fields of science (Einstein in Einstein on the Beach), politics (Gandhi in Satyagraha) and religion (the Egyptian pharaoh Akhnaten). Depicting one the most transformative chapters in Egyptian history, Akhnaten uses texts drawn from ancient hymns, prayers, letters, and inscriptions sung in their original Egyptian, Hebrew, and Akkadian to explore the life of a groundbreaking pharaoh who fathered a new religion, determined to lead his nation into a new age.
Countertenor John Holiday reprises his role as Akhnaten, which he first portrayed earlier this year at Komische Opera Berlin to great acclaim. The symbol of the Sun disk appears throughout the opera, especially during major scenes acknowledging his rule, which begins with the death of Akhnaten’s father Amenhotep III, brilliantly performed by the very tall bass Zachary James, who returns to reprise his impressive 2016 performance in a role he has also performed at the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera. His role as narrator, spoken in English, describes the scenes being performed, the conflicts represented, and provides understanding why Akhnaten only ruled until the age of 32.
Akhnaten is performed in three acts encompassing three and a half hours of magnificent artistry that seem to fly by, with unbelievable acts of juggling by 10 members of Gandini Juggling, Inc. creating moments of awe-inspiring wonder. Act 1 begins in Thebes with the Funeral of Amenhotep III. While narrating the action as a ghostly visitor, we see him first as a corpse being prepared in accordance with the Egyptian Book of the Dead rituals during which the Pharaoh’s heart is removed and weighed against a feather. If equal in weight, his heart is pure and Amenhotep III will travel through into the afterlife.
Scene 2 depicts the Coronation of Akhnaten with much flash and celebration, with the young prince stepping forward to be dressed in sacred robes (see photo accompanying this review) to ascend the stairs to make his first pronouncement. During scene 2, the new pharaoh changes his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhnaten, meaning the Spirit of Aten, the Sun God. He is accompanied by his wife Nefertiti (Mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce making her company debut) and mother Queen Tye (soprano So Young Park) to glorify a new beginning as the Suu rises behind them.
Act two covers Akhnaten’s reign from years 5 to 15 during which he leads a revolt to banish the old polytheistic religion and replace it with his new order of Aten, the Sun God. As he selects the site for his new city of Akhetaten, Holiday and Pearce perform a magnificently harmonic duet affirming the love between Akhnaten and Nefertiti, staged with their very slow and intention cross-stage walk to each other with the pounding of their hearts (drums) instilling that love within the hearts of everyone in the audience. It was quite the moment, to feel so much a part of their love that the rest of the world seemed to disappear. Act 2 ends with a glorious private prayer sung by Holiday with complete reverence to Akhnaten’s vision of a new religion and society being born.
Act 3 begins with Akhnaten and Nefertiti dwelling in a new insular world of their own creation with their six daughters (Emily Damasco, Katie Trigg, Abi Levis, Julia Maria Johnson, Erin Alford, and Kristen Choi). Everyone is now adorned with royal blue highlights, thanks to costume designer Kevin Pollard whose Herculean task included dressing more than 50 cast members in several different costumes, each one even more spectacular than the last! But their lives are soon turned upside down as unrest beyond the city’s walls leads to the attack and fall of the city, with Queen Tye and Nefertiti being separated from Akhnaten, who is finally killed.
Zachary James shares the pain and loss of Akhnaten’s father upon his son’s death, as the new Pharaoh, the young Tutenkhamun, is crowned in a ceremony like that of his father, bathed in gold amid the pompous celebration. I was a bit perplexed when this scene was intercut with a group of modern-day students listening to a lecture given by a professor, one level up from the lavish festivities going on below. Was it insinuating that the entire opera was merely a lesson being taught by this professor? I’m not sure, but to avoid confusion which breaks the mood, I would suggest deleting this scene in future productions. Switching back to the opera’s epilogue, the ghosts of Akhnaten, Nefertiti and Queen Tye are heard from the ancient world once again, perhaps forever re-living the glory that was once theirs.
I’ve done my best to share the magically magnificent presentation of this production, given the remarkable costumes, staging, harmonies, splendid orchestra, and lighting design blending together with artistic wonder amid Tom Pye’s triple level scenic design. Kudos especially to composer Philip Glass, conductor Dalia Stasevska, and director Phelim McDermott whose incredible ability to create such pinpoint accuracy moving so many actors around while singing such roof-raising harmonies added great depth and emotional attachment to the tale of Pharaoh Akhnaten, whose vision for the future led to an uprising within his own country.
There were seven performances of Akhnaten from February 28 through March 22 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, located at 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90012. Upcoming LA Opera productions include Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff (April 18-May 10), James Conlon Farewell Concert & Gala (April 24), Benjamin Britten’s Noah’s Flood (May 8-9), Les Talens Lyriques: Handelian Heroes (May 24), Mozart’s The Magic Flute (May 30 – June 21), and Renee Fleming in Recital (June 26). Get a full season of opera from $159, plus perks like free exchanges and backstage tours. More information is available and tickets can be purchased online at LAOpera.org, by phone at 213.972.8001, or in person at the LA Opera box office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90012). For disability access to all performances, call 213.972.0777 or email LAOpera@LAOpera.org.
