Philip Glass's opera "Akhnaten" is a "Camelot" tragedy set in Ancient Egypt: it's a musical vision-an artist's guess really-about one man's short and revolutionary adventure as Pharoah nearly 4000 years ago.
Akhnaten was a dynastic heir who became a radical reformer. He moved Egypt's capital to the sparkling emerald city of Amarna.
Bolder still, a first in the human record, Akhnaten decreed the worship of one god, maker and master of all-for which the many old gods of Egypt and their powerful priesthood had their revenge.
As a departure in opera writing, Philip Glass's repetitive modular music and his chanted libretto made original leaps that Akhnaten himself might have admired. The opera is 16-years old now; so it's lasted very nearly as long as Akhnaten ruled Egypt: and in fresh production for Boston and Chicago, "Akhnaten" is a music show and a human figure of surprising poignancy.
Philip Glass and his "Akhnaten" in the second hour of The Connection. (Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
