‘Akhnaten’: a philosopher king of Egypt at the ENO
Akhnaten, opera by Philip Glass produced by Phelim McDermott, returns to the English National Opera (ENO) at the London Coliseum. rrPictured: rrI...
“Open are the double doors of the horizon. Unlocked are its bolts.”
Thus intones the Scribe at the start of Philip Glass’s opera Akhnaten, about an extraordinary ruler of Egypt in the mid-14th century BC. The Pharaoh Akhnaten (more commonly spelled Akhenaten) was a philosopher king, perhaps the first monotheist of whom we have knowledge. He was also the husband of the beautiful Queen Nefertiti and father of the famous Pharaoh Tutankhamun (or King Tut).
The opera’s staging starts with the funeral of Akhnaten’s father, Amenhotep III, and the transfer of power. It ends with modern archaeologists examining ancient fragments, and a guide showing tourists the new city founded by Akhnaten. Known from its ruins at Amarna, this is the location where in 1887 an extraordinary cache of tablets was found. Written in the cuneiform script of Mesopotamia, they are a testament to the international communications the king opened up from an Egypt hidebound by the conservative traditions of its priesthood.
Five years after his accession, the king changed his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhn-aten, signifying his replacement of the god Amun by a more abstract deity, manifested by the sun’s disc (the Aten). Akhnaten moved the capital city from Thebes to a new location, named Akhetaten (horizon of the Aten). The priesthood hated it. Following the king’s death in 1336 BC, the priests regained power after a brief struggle, and two or three years later his son was consecrated as King Tutankhamun, reviving the name of the god Amun.
This is the final opera in Philip Glass’s trilogy on men who changed history — Einstein, Gandhi, Akhnaten — and Phelim McDermott’s spectacular production presents this long lost civilisation in vivid detail. The juggling, known from artwork of the time, was superb, as befits an ancient state where everything knows its place and trajectory, and the slow motion choreography invests ancient ritual with a sense of reverence and solemnity.
In the opening scene we see the principal gods of Egypt in silhouette followed by the immensely tall figure of the Scribe stepping forward to intone words from the Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts. There are no surtitles but the programme provides transcriptions from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, letters from the Amarna archive, along with excerpts from the Hebrew Bible, and Egyptian tomb inscriptions, including Tutankhamun’s.
The libretto is described by Glass’s collaborator on Egyptian history, Shalom Goldman, as “singing archaeology”. Yet it is imbued with life by the composer’s rhythmically pulsating, mesmeric music, illuminating the ancient world of the 14th century BC. McDermott’s production captures our imaginations with glorious costumes by Kevin Pollard, marvellous set designs by Tom Pye, and subtle lighting changes by Bruno Poet, particularly the remarkable counterpoint of colours in Act II.
There are no surtitles, a blessing that allows the audience to concentrate on this stunning production, with Glass’s hypnotic vocal and orchestral music ably conducted by Karen Kamensek. Wonderful singing from Anthony Roth Costanzo in the counter-tenor role of Akhnaten, melding beautifully in various passages with Chrystal E. Williams as his wife Nefertiti, and Haegee Lee as his mother Queen Tye. As the Scribe, Zachary James’s powerful voice, diction and commanding stage presence provided a firm grounding for the whole performance, along with excellent work from the chorus singing in various ancient tongues.
The revival of this production is a wonderful riposte to the ridiculous Arts Council England attempt to defund the ENO, and at a stroke of the pen remove an establishment that brings new audiences to opera at a price considerably cheaper than that of most football tickets. Apparently 63% of the sales for the ENO’s recent revival of Bizet’s Carmen went to people who have never seen an opera before — a remarkable achievement for any company. The Arts Council, like the BBC, must be shamed into reversing their philistine defunding decisions that have united the classical music world against them.
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