Last night Ben and I went to the Fathom Events screening of the New York Metropolitan's production of Philip Glass's Akhnaten. I have loved this piece since I first got my hands on the CD recording in the spring of 1988. I finally got it on vinyl last March, having only heard it digitally for the past 30 years. I've written at length (here, and here) about how it affects me, but long ago I gave up any hope of ever seeing the opera performed.
All that changed last night.
When a friend in San Francisco alerted me to the upcoming performance on Fathom a few weeks ago, I jumped at it. Yes, the tickets were kind of pricey relative to a regular movie, but it was at a one of the nice dinner-and-a-movie theaters, and after experiencing it last night, I have to say it was worth every damn penny.
These are shots from the "new" Phelim McDermott production (the one we saw last night), not the one you find on YouTube.
All it took was the opening notes of the Prelude and the tears started streaming down my cheeks. The Window of Appearances and Akhnaten and Nefertiti gave me chills.
The sets, the staging, the costumes all combined to transport me to another world. And if nothing else, made me want to now see this production live. In short, it was magical.