As in the “Liebestod” from Tristan and Isolde, it became a moment outside time, a mystical glimpse into the beyond. Slowly emerging from the wings in scarlet robes with long trains, Anthony Roth Costanzo and J’Nai Bridges sang elegantly of their love. Particularly affecting, both musically and dramatically, was Akhnaten and Nefertiti’s duet in Act II. There was a Halloween party campiness to this aspect of the production that entertained in its own curious way, but to get at the heart of the opera one needed more restful moments, and there were some. A black suit and skull hat for Aye, Nefertiti’s father, conjured Baron Samedi, a spirit of Haitian Vodou, while Queen Tye’s curly red wig and garish costume made her a Statue of Liberty with overtones of Wild West saloon girl and Queen Victoria. A dark, industrial, three-level set was populated by juggling mummies, covered in what appeared to be a pattern of cracked-earth patches. The irony of this production was that one had to fight the gaudy, overstocked staging to arrive at the spiritual. In Glass’s mind, Einstein transformed science Gandhi, with his belief in non-violent resistance, expressed the socio-political and the pharaoh Akhnaten, an early believer in monotheism, embodied the role of religion in society. One of Glass’s “portrait operas,” Akhnaten is the third in a series that includes Einstein on the Beach and Satyagraha (a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi). When Glass’s meditation on the life of Akhnaten was accorded the dignity it deserved, there were moments of true beauty both musically and poetically, but the kitschy, visually distracting costumes and stage business hampered most attempts at contemplation. It was night to remember, both for its failings and for its strengths. With enough juggling stunts to rival Cirque du Soleil, Philip Glass’s Akhnaten tumbled into town from London in a staging co-produced by English National Opera and LA Opera. Six Daughters of Akhnaten – So Young Park, Summer Hassan, Elizabeth Zharoff, Michelle Siemens, Michele Hemmings, Sharmay Musacchio High Priest of Amon – Frederick Ballentine Aye: Patrick Blackwell Horemhab – Kihun Yoon The Scribe – Zachary James (JRo) Anthony Roth Costanzo in the title role of Akhnaten (c) Craig T. United States Glass, Akhnaten: Soloists, Chorus, and Orchestra of LA Opera/Matthew Aucoin (conductor), Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles.

La opera akhnaten