Akhnaten

Akhnaten was a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt, and reigned from 1353-1336 BC. He took the throne after the death of Amenhotep III, and lived a life like many men; he married and raised a family, whilst trying to cope with pressure from his mother. As a ruler, Akhnaten is best remembered for his radical religious beliefs. He was inspired to try and unite the previous polytheistic beliefs of the Egyptians into a monotheism, worshipping Aten, the sun.

Akhnaten is the final installment in a trilogy of biopic operas, which includes Einstein on the Beach, about Albert Einstein, and Satyagraha, about Mahatma Gandhi. Like its predecessors, Akhnaten dispenses with any formal idea of plot. Instead, important moments in the timeline of Akhnaten’s life are depicted through the use of vocal and orchestra soundscapes, ancient hymns and texts, and Philip Glass’s characteristic minimalism. Akhnaten serves as a window into an entire ancient world, even incorporating original Egyptian, Hebrew, and Arcadian texts, to bring ancient voices back to life, and to celebrate the man who is now considered by many to be the founder of monotheistic religion.

Author’s note: Any titles in Italics are the author’s own, and generally indicate a soundscape scene, where formal words are not used.

Act One

Prelude

• ‘Open are the double doors’ - Amenhotep
• ‘He flies who flies’ - Amenhotep

Scene 1: Funeral of Amenhotep III

• Funeral Chorus ‘Ankh ankh en mitak’ - Funeral Party
• ’Ya inen makhent en ra’ - Funeral Party, Aye, Chorus

Scene 2: The Coronation of Akhnaten

• ‘Yenedj hrack yemi’ - Amon, Horemhab, Aye
• ‘Live the horus’ - Amenhotep
• ‘Yenedj hrack yemi’ - Chorus

Scene 3: The Window of Appearances

• ‘Tut wua yeri’ - Akhnaten, Tye, Nefertiti

Act Two

Scene 1: The Temple

• ‘Amen, Amen’ - Amon, Chorus
• The new order - Akhnaten, Tye, Chorus

Scene 2: Akhnaten and Nefertiti

• ‘I breathe the sweet breath’ - Amenhotep
• Duet ‘Sesenet/Neftu nedjem per em rek’ - Akhnaten, Nefertiti

Scene 3: The City

• Monologue: ‘And his majesty said unto them’ - Amenhotep
• Dance

Scene 4: Hymn

• ‘Thou dost appear beautiful’ - Akhnaten
• ‘Marabbu maaseekha’ - Chorus

Act Three

Scene 1: The Family

• The Family - 6 Daughters, Nefertiti, Akhnaten
• ‘I have written repeatedly for troops’ - Amenhotep
• The Family - Akhnaten, 2 Daughters

Scene 2: Attack and Fall

• ‘Limlikmi shari’ - Amon, Horemhab, Aye, Chorus

Scene 3: The Ruins

• Prologue ‘The sun of him who knew thee not’ - Amenhotep
• ‘To reach Tel-al-amarna’ - Amenhotep

Epilogue

• The Ghosts - Tye, Nefertiti, Akhnaten