William and I left for NYC from Maryland in the morning. Along the drive William mentioned he was interested in a performance - tonight - at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. It is no surprise to me, as William has long held great interest in our African Egyptian ancestors. So along the drive back to NYC, the opera house was called and BOOM! We had tickets for tonight's performance of Akhnaten. BOOM, SCORE!
William at the Met
Attending a performance at THE Met was a first for both of us. We were there early, and parked at a lot near the theater, which thrilled me to pieces because it was a COLD night for walking. Entering the huge and impressive building was exciting and nearly overwhelming. Talk about your 'bright and shiny'!
Looking down from gallery heights
We picked up our tickets at the Met box office, after which I felt my usual imperative to visit the gift shop.
Tiny corner of the HUMONGOUS gift shop
Talented Toys...
Splendiferous opera jackets and such...
Necklace for that special evening at the Met
I only bought a couple of items, not shown here; a beautiful Black ballerina on point and a jewel festooned cloth heart.
Dollies for your Doll...
If you want to blow your nose as well as your cool...
The production was so magical. The music is by Philip Glass whose music can at first seem quite repetitive, but it has the result of making you feel you are meditating and it draws you in.
The screen in front of my seat
A cool thing was that there was a screen in front of every seat. The screens also explained the general set up of each act, and provided translations in English and German, etc.
By the first intermission, William and I were thoroughly in love with the production, and we chatted about all the symbolism. For example, in the production when the old pharaoh died, the weight of his heart was compared to the weight of a feather on balanced scales. William explained to me the pharaoh's heart was a light as a feather after death because he lived his life well and was granted entry to heaven... or something like that!
Our view from the operatic peanut gallery
We were shocked that not every audience member was as enchanted with the opera as we were. A disgruntled looking woman sitting nearby, at the first intermission, left and never reappeared. What
The dressing of Akhnaten
Egyptian god put a feather up her rump? Perhaps she was shocked by Akhnaten's initial appearance, when he stood naked at the top of a long stair well, slowly walking downwards...
At that point in the opera he was newborn to life, and at the bottom of the stairs, his servants ritually dressed him in elaborate golden robes. Now way up in the dress circle, we couldn't see he was
naked - I reckon all the more reason to spend the $300 for front row seating. Nevertheless, at a later time I looked on line for a closer look at the astounding costuming for this amazing opera. The round orbs that covered his gown were the golden painted heads of dolls! I have got to some day re-see this opera from a closer vantage point.
Garbed in Golden Robes with Orbs
Another amazing and beautiful aspect of this unique production was the juggling. Yes, I said juggling. Numerous cast members would juggle balls that somehow magically melded into the story and how the eff they juggled like that without ever dropping anything was stupefying to watch.
When the elaborate opera ended, the crowd went wild. I can't imagine any other opera production being quite as mesmerising as this one. I have GOT to see Akhnaten again another time.
Encore!
Here is the Met's trailer for Akhnaten. Every time I see it, I am sucked into the hypnotic production all over again. Note the juggling - be amazed!
