Performers with animal heads fill the space across three stages in a synchronous movement, jugglers perform an entrancing choreography and a powerful hum of music reverberates through the opera. This is how the show “Akhnaten” at the Los Angeles Opera mourns the death of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, greets the new ruler and at the same time, welcomes the audience to the show.
The contemporary opera “Akhnaten,” composed by Philip Glass, is unconventional, mesmerizing and can be regarded as a surreal audio-visual ritual.
“Akhnaten” has been inspired by the largely unknown life of the Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhnaten. It follows his rise to power as the first person to introduce a monotheistic religion and his subsequent fall from the throne. His life and death are in tandem with the new empire being born and withering, as the past order ultimately gets restored.
The first act of “Akhnaten” may come off as disappointing. The elongated scenes seem redundant and disengaging. The slowness seen in the beginning reflects the ‘old way’ of the world before the coronation of Akhnaten, and even though this choice was purposeful, it fails to grab the attention of the audience at first. But give the performance a chance, recharge during the first of the two intermissions and prepare for what the second, masterfully crafted act has prepared.
The opera’s culmination occurs when Akhnaten rises to his full power and revolutionizes the world by spreading a belief in a singular deity, worshipping the god of the sun. It is when the play itself shines brightest, and it is not only because of the enormous sun that takes over the entirety of the stage.
The sun is one of the many motifs incorporated across the performance. Rich symbolism is one of the most notable parts of “Akhnaten.” The hidden visual and musical meanings convey not only a forgotten record of the past but also present the process of change in the leading ideology adopted by the whole society.
A lot of these significant connotations are easy to miss for first-time viewers. Attending the pre-show talks led by the public musicologist Dr. Tiffany Kuo, who lectures for the L.A. Opera, greatly enriches the entire experience. It is also important to know that not grasping the entirety of the depth of the play is not a factor that should deter one from beginning to engage in classical music experiences.
In an interview with Annenberg Media, the conductor of “Akhnaten,” Dalia Stasevska, encouraged everyone to give the craft of opera a chance.
“There is a misconception with classical music that you have to understand it, or you have to have some kind of knowledge. No, you don’t,” Stasveska said. “We’re telling the stories, we wanna move you, and we want to make you have a great time.”
The new opera is not about impressing audiences through action-packed scenes. The scenography, lightwork and decadent costumes work in tandem to make artistic masterpiece-like frames which are more than enough to leave the viewer in awe. “Akhnaten” is a gorgeous composition intertwining balanced visual elements with tasteful pieces of chaotic creative freedom.
Another part contributing to the unconventionality of the play is the language. Except for occasional English, it is sung in Ancient Egyptian, Biblical Hebrew and Akkadian (ancient Semitic language). At times, it loses the words completely and turns into hums and ah’s, portraying the transformation happening in Egypt at that time. There is no translation of the language, which may feel confusing for new opera attendees, but this lack of translation is a message in itself. The language is the highest celebration of the past brought to the contemporary viewer.
“Music, composing, creating — it’s our fingerprint. We live at our time for the past generations and for the future generations. And we also are learning what the past generations left for us, and what is our role now. We’re passing it into the future generations, to you. So we are all linked together,” Stasevska said. “This is what makes us humans. We love to tell stories.”
The rule of Akhnaten presented by L.A. Opera is about a history that wants to be remembered. It is a history that comes to life on stage. The audience experiences the rise and fall of a pharaoh together with him.
A distinct style of Philip Glass’ music contributes to the exceptional immersivity. The constant rhythm may seem dull, but Stasevska explains the value of this intentional musical treatment.
“Actually, the music, though it repeats, has constant, tiny changes, but they are almost unnoticeable,” Stasevska said. “The idea behind this is that Philip Glass doesn’t want the listener to go into the psychology of this opera or [...] this music. He wants to transpose us into another time dimension. He wants this opera to feel like a ritual.”
All of the uniqueness in melody, highly surrealist visuals, ancient inspirations and even a presence of juggling (!) combine into something that feels like an enchanting, otherworldly sound-visual adventure more than an opera. And it is precisely what makes the contemporary performance of “Akhnaten” worth seeing.
Is “Akhnaten” a worthwhile option for a less opera-seasoned Gen-Z crowd? The short answer is yes, but do not plan to stop your classical music journey there. L.A. Opera has an extensive selection of both contemporary and traditional plays, each type offers a viewpoint that is worth exploring.
“[Classical music] is beautiful,” Stasevska said. “In my concerts, I try to make people feel, feel the joy and the passion that I have for this, and make people who come for the first time addicted and come back.”
And “Akhnaten” has the potential to spark that classical music obsession, thanks to an unforgettable story and production that one should live through at least once.
“Akhnaten” in playing at the L.A. Opera until March 22, find more information at laopera.org