In Focus: Glass's Akhnaten

00:07:04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emtIbDwdgeY

Sintesi

TLDRL'opera "Akhnaten" di Philip Glass è parte della trilogia di ritratti scritta negli anni '70 e '80. Essa ritrae la figura storica di Akhnaton, un faraone noto per aver instaurato il monoteismo in Egitto attorno al 1350 a.C. L'opera pone l'accento sui cambiamenti religiosi e culturali portati da Akhnaton, rappresentati attraverso una serie di scene rituali e musica ipnotica che evoca il ricordo e il rituale. La composizione musicale di Glass utilizza modelli ripetitivi per esplorare idee speculative e filosofiche, offrendo un'esperienza operistica unica e toccante. Un aspetto interessante è l'assenza dei violini nell'orchestrazione, che contribuisce a creare un suono distintivo e ricco. L'opera è cantata in diverse lingue antiche e moderne, con grande enfasi sulla cerimonia e la memoria.

Punti di forza

  • 🌞 Akhnaten è un'opera di Philip Glass sulla vita del faraone Akhnaton.
  • 🎵 La musica ipnotica di Glass accompagna la narrazione di cambiamenti religiosi.
  • 🎭 L'opera esplora temi di monoteismo e trasformazione culturale.
  • 🗣️ I testi sono in inglese e lingue antiche, tra cui l'egiziano.
  • 🎶 L'orchestrazione include molta percussione e ottoni, senza violini.
  • 👑 Akhnaton è interpretato da un controtenore, sottolineando la sua unicità.
  • 📜 L'opera riflette sull'imperscrutabilità della storia antica.
  • ⚜️ La cerimonia e il rituale sono centrali nella narrazione.
  • ✨ L'assenza di Akhnaton dalla storia ha permesso speculazioni creative.
  • 🌟 La ripetitività musicale guida l'ascoltatore attraverso un viaggio speculativo.

Linea temporale

  • 00:00:00 - 00:07:04

    Philippe Glass cunusiddu pè a so triluggìa di purtrette operistiche, cumprisa 'Akhnatan', ca si cuncentra supra a religgiuni e la figura storica fascinanti di Akhnatan, u rè farronu d'Eggitu ca pruvò a stabilìri un sistema monoteìsticu adorannu u diu suli, Aten. Akhnatan attribuìi una nova dinemica culturali e religgiusa prima di veniri stuppatu di la storia dopu a so morti. L'opira, carattirizzata da sunurità ipnotici e testu antichi, rifletti supra li tematiche speculative e filosòfichi, adupirannu una struttura musicali spicifichi senza violini, ma c'un iscrizzioni percussiva e di ottuni, mentri celebrati u carattiri ceremuniali.

Mappa mentale

Mind Map

Domande frequenti

  • Chi era Akhnaton?

    Akhnaton era un faraone egiziano intorno al 1350 a.C., noto per aver introdotto il monoteismo in Egitto.

  • Qual è il tema centrale dell'opera "Akhnaten" di Philip Glass?

    Il tema centrale è l'introduzione del monoteismo da parte del faraone Akhnaton e il suo impatto sulla società egiziana.

  • Quando è stata presentata per la prima volta l'opera "Akhnaten"?

    L'opera "Akhnaten" è stata presentata per la prima volta nel 1984.

  • Quali lingue vengono utilizzate nell'opera "Akhnaten"?

    I testi sono cantati in inglese, antico egiziano, acadian e ci sono anche parti parlate.

  • Quale stile musicale caratterizza Philip Glass?

    Philip Glass è noto per il suo stile musicale caratterizzato da figure ripetitive che si sviluppano gradualmente.

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Sottotitoli
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    [Music]
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    the pharaoh akhnatan was a young ruler
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    with one grand vision
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    monotheism the worship of one god
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    embodied in the sun this was a new thing
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    focuses on ancient history specifically
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    ancient egypt
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    a timeless period really with this
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    hypnotic mystical score
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    that functions a little bit like memory
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    itself
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    [Music]
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    in the 1970s and 80s philip glass
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    famously composed what's known as this
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    portrait trilogy of operas
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    there was einstein on the beach which
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    addressed science
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    satyagraha which addressed the issue of
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    gandhi and politics
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    and this opera akhnatan which premiered
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    1984
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    and addresses the whole idea of religion
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    akhnatan himself is this fascinating
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    historical character he was the pharaoh
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    of egypt around 1350 bce
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    he changed the entire system of his
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    country he
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    suppressed the worship of the old gods
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    and he built a city specifically
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    dedicated to one god the sun god aten
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    although he himself was not a typical
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    looking person we know from a couple of
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    depictions of him he was in fact perhaps
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    a little deformed
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    he married the most beautiful woman of
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    the ancient world nefertiti we have some
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    of their love poetry but we don't know
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    a lot about him
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    because
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    after he died
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    his monotheistic system was wiped out
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    and he was eliminated from the
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    historical record
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    now the creators of this opera found it
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    almost helpful for their purposes
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    that akhnatan had been wiped out from
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    history it left them
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    a lot of room to speculate
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    plot in the sense of who does what to
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    whom is not really the point of this
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    opera the story unfolds like a ritual in
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    which we are all participating
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    what we have is a series of scenes built
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    around major events we have the funeral
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    of akhnatan's father which is the
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    passing of the old order
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    we have akhnathan's coronation the
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    establishment of a new order then we
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    have that order passing to and being
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    destroyed and finally we have the memory
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    of the idea
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    [Music]
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    philip glass's musical style is really
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    well suited to addressing these
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    speculative ideas and philosophical
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    ideas it's right there in the music
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    because he's famous for working with
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    these musical figures
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    that
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    repeat
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    several times and then develop very
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    minutely there might be one note
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    different for a few measures and then
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    another and pretty soon you're in an
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    entirely different place wondering how
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    you got there
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    [Music]
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    the texts that are sung are adapted from
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    antiquity some are in english
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    translation
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    some are in ancient egyptian
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    in another ancient language acadian and
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    then there's also some spoken text
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    the orchestration is really interesting
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    there's a lot of percussion
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    a lot of brass especially
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    to highlight the ceremonial and military
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    aspects of the score
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    and interestingly there are no violins
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    this came about originally as what the
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    composer calls a happy accident
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    it there just was no room in the
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    orchestra pit that they had to use at
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    the premiere
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    and he figured something has to go and
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    instead we have the violas as the
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    highest register string instrument in
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    the orchestra and this creates a unique
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    texture really rich beautiful sound
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    [Music]
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    akhnatan himself
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    the title role
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    is written for a counter-tenor that
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    alone is extraordinary
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    you're going to know right away that
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    akhnatan is not just another king on the
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    operatic stage
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    [Music]
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    the counter-tenor voice
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    has an inherently otherworldly sound
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    it encompasses all genders it's not
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    between male and female it is both and
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    therefore
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    like the spiritual life having no gender
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    it has a divine quality to it
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    [Music]
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    one of the central pieces of the opera
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    is a hymn to the sun
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    which is akhnathan's own text and a very
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    important one
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    in the history of religion and this is
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    sung in english per glass's instructions
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    he always wanted this part sung in the
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    language of the audience
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    [Music]
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    one of the aspects of this moment in
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    history that continues to fascinate
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    people
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    is how much cannot be known about this
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    very ancient reign of a pharaoh and it
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    very much addresses the filter of how we
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    know and we experience today this very
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    ancient story
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    when you take this opera on its own
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    terms it's the story of
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    dreams and aspirations and loss and
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    memory
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    i find it strangely poignant and
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    powerful in that way that the best
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    operas are
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    even though akhnatan does not unfold in
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    the way of standard operas it does
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    unfold with its own logic and its own
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    inevitability
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    you'll find it's a journey as vast as
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    any other you'll encounter in the opera
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    house
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    [Music]
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    you
Tag
  • Akhnaten
  • Philip Glass
  • opera
  • monoteismo
  • antico Egitto
  • rituale
  • musica minimalista
  • cultura egiziana