The Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves wrote “Displays of frightening self-censorship and toadying loyalty are ominous indicators of the paranoia which was beginning to grip the country. Sigmund Freud in his book Moses and Monotheism argued that Moses was an adherent of Akhnaten who fled Egypt and founded Judaism. He proclaimed that he was the only intermediary between the sun god and the people as he concentrated power in his own hands. He built a new capital city and became a cult figure. The libretto shows how Akhnaten changed Egypt into a monotheistic state. The story is clear-cut uncluttered by meandering digressions. That ten-minute opening of Act I is simply an elongation of Wagner’s technique at the start of his Ring.Īkhnaten is Glass’s most dramatic opera. Acts II and III contain a considerable amount of invention and variety. Switching a few notes after prolonged sameness does not, in itself, confer profundity.įor those who are not yet enthralled, let’s continue with my comparison and then notice how Glass’s orchestral and choral voicings are much more varied and expressive. And so reactions go, from one generation to the next. He said that In the Mood was boring, “the same thing over and over again.” He couldn’t hear the differences. My father used to complain about my taste. Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey presented their swing instrumentals with 17-piece bands whereas Philip Glass employs a hundred singers and orchestral players but the idea of pressure and release is similar. There’s a vast difference of scale, of course. A simple riff is repeated incessantly and we’re transfixed when subtle transformations take place. In its construction, Akhnaten is comparable to In the Mood and One O’clock Jump. But non-believers think that those who adore Philip Glass are delusional.Īllow me to place his work in context. Many of them made fun of Glass’s style and commented that fans must have drunk some mind-altering Kool-Aid.Īt the beginning of Akhnaten, ten minutes of repetitions of a simple four-note motif take place before any musical development starts. Numerous subscribers at a recent HD screening walked away muttering. The idolatrous praise that some of us heap on Akhnaten tends to alienate others. Still, those of us who love this opera shouldn’t get so carried away that our enthusiasm turns off a wider public. Akhnaten is Philip Glass’s best opera, and I’m glad it’s having a success this season at the Metropolitan.
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