Ancient outlier: Phillip Glass’ mystical, trance-like opera Akhnaten transcends time to explore the life and psyche of the 13th-century B.C. pharaoh of ancient Egypt. The Met Live in HD’s premiere illuminates the fundamental ways that Akhnaten tried to change the way his people thought about their gods and spirituality by using creative lighting, soaring orchestral arrangements, and acrobatics. It’s part of the composer’s series dedicated to understanding radical men who thought differently than others of their time, and reviewers have called the show, led by acclaimed countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, “fabulously beautiful” with a “haunting impact.”
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