Akhnaten is an opera consisting of three acts. It follows the life and religious decisions of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten, which was composed by American composer Philip Glass in 1983.
It was the first opera Glass composed following his two "portrait" operas, Einstein on the Beach and Satyagraha, which were both well received. Akhnaten was also a success, with many critics praising it as one of Glass's best works. The opera has been recorded three times and has been performed live in several productions.
Glass based the libretto on the life and religious beliefs of Akhenaten, as well as his wife Nefertiti and their son Tutankhamun. The text is in Ancient Egyptian, Hebrew, and English.
The opera was commissioned by the Stuttgart Opera, with funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Glass's collaborator Robert Wilson was the original director, but he withdrew from the project after disagreements with Glass. Wilson subsequently sued the composer, but they reached an out-of-court settlement.
The opera premiered in 1984 at the Stuttgart Opera, with Michael Riesman conducting and John Cage as music consultant. It was subsequently staged by the Amsterdam Opera in 1986, the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1987, and the New York City Opera in 1992.
Akhnaten received mixed reviews from critics, but Glass's music was generally praised. The opera's abstract quality and use of unconventional techniques (such as Sprechstimme and extended instrumental techniques) were also praised.
Glass's use of Ancient Egyptian and other Middle Eastern music scales and modes influenced many subsequent composers, including Steve Reich and John Adams. The work has been compared to Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, a production at Opéra de Nice Côte d'Azur in November 2020 was performed without an audience and broadcast online. Longtime Glass associate Lucinda Childs produced and choreographed this performance, and she oversaw online rehearsals. Additionally, she performed the speaking parts in the opera that were pre-recorded and presented live.
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