Akhnaten leads trio of highly successful performances.

Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide

August 19-23, 2014

It seems hard to believe that a decade has passed since the initial presentation of Philip Glass’ revolutionary minimalist opera Einstein on the Beach was staged at the warehouse-like headquarters of the State Opera of South Australia corralling the formidable talents of choreographer Leigh Warren and the now Artistic director of SOSA, Tim Sexton. They would go on to have further success in presenting two of Glass’ stageworks, Akhnaten and Satyagraha and from these earliest of days, it was always planned that all three operas eventually would be presented as a trilogy. Although it has taken a decade to achieve this monumental task, the long wait has been worth it, for Sexton and Warren have created an operatic trilogy that is not only a world first, but a production more than capable of holding its own at any serious international arts festival.

Not only have these two further deconstructed opera in its traditional sense from the composer’s initial production and staging ideas, they have achieved a unique synthesis of opera and dance in bringing together Glass’ three revolutionary titular heroes within the intimate and proscenium arch of Adelaide’s Her Majesty’s Theatre. This production of the trilogy also reinstates the composer’s desired music forces, moving away from the earlier chamber-like and keyboard based musical arrangement created by Sexton for the intial performances of the individual operas, and now culminating in the use of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in Satyagraha. Of the three, it is Einstein which remains closest to Sexton and Warren’s initial conception of the work, whilst with Satyagraha and Akhenaten, the directors have extended their intial ideas whilst maintaining an especial intimacy so appropriate to the theatre in which the trilogy is now mounted.

Whilst Einstein and Satyagraha are given highly successful performances, for me, the culmination of that which is best in this marathon undertaking lies in the superb production of Akhnaten, Glass’s take on the life and revolutionary religious ideas of Egypt’s premier roi-soleil. With Sexton’s complete understanding of Glass’ musical intentions and Warren’s ingenious and often hieroglyphic-like stances of his dancers, something both intimate and immediately comprehendable is presented whilst adding much to the effectively hypnotic score. Tobias Cole proves to be the perfect pharoah with his unearthly and well-projected countertenor register adding much to this ingenious production. Soprano Cherie Boogaart in reprising her role as his spouse Nefertiti proved an attractive foil with her highly indivual vibrato used to great effect. However from my position in the theatre, this did tend to occlude Cole’s vocal input during the important vocal duet in Scene Five.

Elsewhere, as in the other operas in this trilogy, there is much to praise from the musical director Tim Sexton’s complete undertanding and mastery of Glass’ woven score with its often subtle pulse-like rhythms. Perhaps it is Leigh Warren’s ideas which are deserving of even greater praise, for it is his choreographic ideas which makes these operas gel – from the simple yet effect movements of the excellent State Opera Chorus making them truly part of the production to his unique ability in being able to so effectively themes at hand which bring these three initially seemingly disparate figures together.

Here is an operatic venture deserving of the highest praise and capable of success on an international level and all has been done within the tightest budgetary restraints whilst showing just what can be achieved when such passionate collaborators are united in a project needing so much time and commitment to succeed as well as this does. 

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