Country USA
Year 2019
Duration 205 minutes, with two intervals
Language English (russian subtitles)
Genre Opera
Theatre The Metropolitan Opera
Age limit 16+

Synopsis

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 Costanzo sings the title role of the 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 Bridges sings the 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 Akhnaten was originally created by LA Opera, Improbable, and English National Opera, where it premiered, winning the 2017 Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production. 

Conductor – Karen Kamensek
Director – Phelim McDermott
Set designer – Tom Pye
Lighting Designer – Bruno Poet
Costume designer – Kevin Pollard

Actors and performers:

Queen Tye – Disella Larusdottir
Nefertiti – J’Nai Bridges
Akhnaten – Anthony Roth Costanzo
High Priest of Amon – Aaron Blake
Amenhotep – Zachary James