Akhnaten - Funeral of Amenhotep III

[@paulcrispell1501]

I play this for my 6th graders when we study ancient Egypt. They sit up and pay attention because it absolutely rocks their world. The discussions afterward are great.

[@mortalclown3812]

Terrific to read this... Wish I could go back in time to let my great teachers know how their enthusiasm would be with me today - in my seventh decade. Their passion for the subjects they taught rolled into other areas in my life. Fwiw,;I don't have kids, but one of my nieces wrote to tell me thanks for taking her to museums, concerts, etc. Only trying to give back the treasures of my excellent public school education. Blessings.

[@josefnitervol6415]

That is fantastic!

[@MadeleineMarie]

I cannot get enough of this song, and this opera as a whole.

[@mortalclown3812]

I'm glad Glass is composing in my lifetime. Found him thru his film scores, but this opera is next level art. The Met version was stupendous.

[@K4inan]

The recorded original is way better

[@stevenposch7346]

I put Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos" on the sound system at work one day, but one of the disks had a skip in it. The same brief phrase played over and over again. As I was going over to change the disk, the door opened and a customer came in. When she heard the music, her face lit up. "Oh, I just love Phillip Glass," she said.

[@maricarmenfrias245]

so funny

[@mortalclown3812]

HA

[@nbearj]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Glass_Buys_a_Loaf_of_Bread

[@nbearj]

The above David Ives short play captures the esssence of glass in approximately 6 minutes

[@josefnitervol6415]

lol hahaha

[@CyrusDarius]

Relentless rhythm. Repetitive chants in ancient Egyptian. Excellent singing and music. Brillaint soloists. I wish I had seen it live!

[@MarcoSchirripa]

I was actually at this performance and it was truly amazing!!

[@nicholasprakash3411]

And the formal repetitive ritual. It's about as close to what an Ancient Egyptian ceremony as I would imagine it.

[@stephenpowers51]

Not so different from a Fall gig, apart from it being in Mancunian and not Egyptian. Funnily enough, I wrote a poem about The Fall which referenced ancient Egypt, quite coincidentally. Small world in so many ways...

[@jimjam3429]

I can't get enough of this performance

[@davidbastardo4154]

Better performance than the recent MET production. Also, accurate costumes are a bonus.

[@mymanjosquin]

i think i’ve watched it a dozen times. i even like it better than Glass’s own version. amazing university production.

[@alicemorrison1518]

Thank you for translating this scene beyond just "sings in Ancient Egyptian"

[@nicholasprakash3411]

The production brings context to the funeral rituals of Ancient Egyptians.

[@christianzayas4444]

An absolute masterpiece of the modern era. Philip Glass will forever be an og for composing Akhenaten.

[@jacquesgeorges1041]

Si Philip Glass n’avait composé que cette œuvre il aurait déjà gagné son titre de plus grand compositeur de notre époque. 😇

[@kathleenhensley5951]

I really need to buy this opera. It is thoroughly amazing. I've always been fascinated with the Amara Period.

[@dashinvaine]

I didn't much care for it when I started listening, but it gets into your head. Great visuals, too.

[@rozniyusof2859]

"He flies who flies. This King flies away from you ye mortals! He is not of the Earth. He is of the Sky! He flaps his wings like a Zeret bird!"

[@marshall2u1]

He goes to the Sky! He Goes To the SKY! On the Wind! ON THE WIND!!

[@heyss9576]

This is a masterpiece.

[@heathertoribio5824]

Check out the Met production.

[@maricarmenfrias245]

I gretly, greatly appreciate you uploaded this part, is one of my favorites!!, incredible dramatic. Thanks so much for workimg in the additional comments of the lyrics and the History behind, great!!

[@mymanjosquin]

i think the whole production is also available, but this is by-far my favorite mvt. the rest of the opera is more intimate. and the use of a solo countertenor is unusual for modern music.

[@kasziber]

You gotta love that high priest guy. What an magnificent voice. the full Opera can be watched in HD on the homepage of the Jacobs School of Music

[@stevegardner713]

I can't find it on there at all. Do you have a direct link for it? :-(

[@mondlippen8131]

I would love to see it, I went to all the stores where they sell opera dvd, but here in Mexico it is not possible buy it :( can you write the link?

[@marc9644]

Is he a bass or a baritone?

[@darrenlyle8518]

We traveled 3000 miles form Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles to see the L A Opera production, and we are still talking about it. Yes there were certain small details of the performance that, at the moment they were happening, differed from the 1984 recording, which is our only reference point; but the experience was just fantastic. Hopefully it might soon be staged in the Northeast, where we would travel again to see it. As a long time opera fan, in my estimation, music like this is difficult to perform. Sitting with a copy of the score in your lap and a disdainful look on your face is not the way to approach performances like this. Bravo to everyone involved!

[@mymanjosquin]

J Young never here unless the conservatory does it. the local opera company is only interested in recycling the same old Pucinni & Verdi. over and over and over.

[@darrenlyle8518]

Hello Clay, I appreciate the comment. Our local company, Florida Grand Opera, now in its 75th year, is also guilty of the "potboiler" crime. In the past few years they have started producing other, still famous, but a little outside the norm operas. I am happy to say that on march 25th we are attending a production of a recent opera by a Cuban born composer called: "Before Night Falls." We are excited at the prospect. Undoubtedly, they are playing to the South Florida audience, but hey, I will take it! We did have a great time in L A, and at Chandler Hall. We look forward to another visit.

[@darrenlyle8518]

Can you post a link? We attend the Met and are members. I don't see any info of this on their site. Any info would be very helpful. I could not find it on Philip's site either. Thanks

[@darrenlyle8518]

Can you post a link? We attend the Met and are members. I don't see any info of this on their site. Any info would be very helpful. I could not find it on Philip's site either. Thanks!

[@Mugroar]

The Met Opera is going to be holding performances in 2019. I’m giddy with excitement!

[@abadoumaroc]

Fantastic..lot of energy I can imagine the ceremonial funeral with just human voice at the time of pharaoh

[@mortalclown3812]

'Akhnaten' makes me curious re: the advent of drums, strings, wind instruments throughout history - especially in ceremonial context. (And choirs, too, for that matter.)

[@drvilson]

Fantastic! Thanks for adding the subtitles. This is the first time I've seen it performed and its a real pleasure.

[@Emgee78]

Finally caught the 2019 Met opera production of Akhnaten and it was haunting and hypnotic. The Funeral of Amenhotep III let me down a bit, I felt that it wasn't as robust and intense as this version.

[@MDK2_Radio]

That was my only complaint too. It was also too quick of a tempo. That’s what robbed it of the impact it should have. It was fantastic otherwise.

[@neburhekau]

Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten in the fourth year of his reign. During the funeral of his father, he was still called Amenhotep.

[@rikpepe1]

I can't believe anyone criticizing this performance for the lack of 10 seconds from the trumpet section. Sheeesh.... Cast ye not pearls before swine. On second thought, maybe you are right (not). The vocals and the horns are grossly different than that of GLASSWORKS. Yes, that's it. Lyrics are better enunciated here. And in retrospect - I prefer this version other than the studio version with horns which seem to drown out the lyrics sung in ancient Egyptian. This is just an incredible performance of a piece I have been listening to for decades and now I get to see it -at least once a week.

[@harryoliver1130]

What is there here not to love! Philip Glass rules!

[@drsteveplatt]

I first heard this piece back in 1982 or so, I believe. I was at a Glass concert at UPenn -- a few weeks before the Glassworks album was released. He played the funeral march as a draft from "an opera he was working on, on Akhnaten". It was years before I heard it again, in a complete opera broadcast. I was blown away at the concert. It still blows me away, almost 40 years (ack!) later. I still need to listen to the whole opera once or twice a year. Incredible music.

[@1987ulise]

One of the most impressive theatrical and musical work of Glass, the best composer of the XX century!

[@mortalclown3812]

💯🌟

[@ybmagpye]

I saw the recent new staging of this magnificient opera at the Met, Nov 2019. Was stunned when the lady sitting next to us left and did not return. We couldn't believe she wasn't as hypnotized and sucked in by the music, the singing of the production. It was an astounding and beautiful experience (the opera, not the dippy woman).

[@joeharris4345]

I didn't understand the point of the juggling. I found it distracting.

[@AP-dd3xp]

Joe Harris I was constantly worried about one of them missed the ball, extremely distracting and exacerbated my anxiety.

[@barrymorentz5190]

She was probably lobotomized by this insanity

[@historylover2]

Maybe she was feeling ill.

[@mortalclown3812]

Decades ago, at a Met version of Turandot, I was bored out of my mind: I'd rather hear flaws with passion vs precision drills in Germanic style. (But the Zefferelli sets were a wonder.) Anyway, we had second row seats and, as we passed to the exit, gave our tickets to two senior citizens in the back row. The woman gasped and said, 'But you haven't heard...' 😂 It meant more to us knowing she got to hear 'Nessun dorma'.)

[@murnoth]

Thanks Everyone! Eternal life doesn't necessarily mean eternal rule or even being in the noble class; but getting to experience life in various positions is fulfilling. Just learn from your current position and see the joy in it's qualities before it is gone again

[@luissalinas3308]

sublime, omnipotente, magnifico, mi aria favorita de esta obra operística

[@AncientOfDays]

Sublime, hypnotic and ominous...

[@larrymerkle1672]

Ancient Of Days You forgot monotonous and boring..

[@FredHandle1]

What a send off !

[@aljawad]

This is absolutely brilliant! Thanks for posting :-)

[@stephenkirkby]

Thanks for posting I first saw this sometime in 1984/5 at the ENO London and it was the first time I along with many others gave a genuine standing ovation at the end of the performance I absolutely loved and still do to this day I would love to see a recording of the ENO production If any body knows of one please advise We then saw 'The making of the representative for planet 8' I think that was Sadlers Wells

[@garymoore2314]

Stephen Kirkby The Met Opera is broadcasting their production of the ENO production on 11/23/19. Check their website for more info.

[@Amarcordons]

Fantastic music, and thank you so much for the subtitles, it's great to be able to see the words in Ancient Egyptian! Still, I can't help noticing how white the singers all are, it would be interesting seeing this performed by Egyptians or people closer to this culture :)

[@femto2]

Beautiful. Powerful. So strong...

[@Heinrich5y]

Very nice. I saw this piece for the first time on the 27th of october in The City of The Haque (The Netherlands) performed by Lavinia Meijer &Attacca Ensemble. Beautiful!

[@Dalimagnus]

Like one or two of the people that commented below, I had never seen any of the actual opera before. Thanks for posting these!

[@Zeppolino100]

I saw this at the Boston Lyric Opera over 10 year ago, and it was incredible! What a shame that it wasn't recorded on video and with professional sound equipment. My best friend Dirk Hillyer plays the French Horn for them (did then, still does). Check out his Hillyer Festival Orchestra for some great music in many genres as well as Opera Arias.

[@adrianapetrovici2938]

Excellent!!!

[@ingesevenants1854]

Adriana Petrovici It keeps me going

[@AEthirtyfive]

Truly lovely, perfectly unrubbished this day; thamk you

[@jeffwatkins352]

This is a fabulous video of among my favorite operas. Its English translations coupled with transliterated Egyptian texts are invaluable, never mind the historical background provided. My only confusion is whether this is a production of Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. That's all I can glean from the information provided and I wish it would be the first rather than the last thing your notes provide.

[@BenEmberley]

Epic

[@LuisOctavio2010]

Gracias Patrick por compartir con nosotros

[@TonyVitaleTVOD]

thank you, thank you

[@femto2]

Que achado! Obrigado, internet. Obrigado, youtube.. E obrigado Mr. Patrick Joiner. Thank You very much!

[@perlfarben]

Magnífico!!!!

[@FoelyZ89]

Mystic new rituals in a contemporary opera, fantastic!

[@michaelscribe4827]

It's complex but sounds "simple" like all the best music, art, poetry.

[@robinblankenship9234]

A beautiful production. Wonderful sets and great costumes. I just have to turn the music off so I can enjoy it.

[@cadiluke23]

Excelente

[@MyrnaMinkoff-yy4qd]

This is the opening soundtrack for Lion in Winter 1968, possibly the greatest movie ever made.

[@giuseppedimarco8358]

Fantastic!

[@josefnitervol6415]

Masterpiece

[@MrCharizmatiik]

Dua Neteru. Word to my Ancestors.

[@inpiedisuunospecchio]

I want this shit to be played at my funeral.

[@manalelkhoshkhany3788]

Do you have the full opera or know where I can find it? I want this particular performance

[@Iambatmantoo690]

This is so great, many thanks! Would you happen to have any other current Glass operas? Einstein On The Beach? Waiting For The Barbarians? Either way, thanks again!

[@jmars309]

This "song" had appeared in other films , documentries not knowing the source......

[@ZulcanPrime]

They wish him safe passage to the Valley Of The Kings. I don't think he can die again or get seriously injured on the way. He is dead!

[@10Tabris01]

+Cpt.Grimsdale Nemo (Seneca) In ancient egyptian religion, if the body got damaged, the sould would be unable to return into it and thus never reach the afterlife. THat's why the ancient egyptians mummyfied their dead.

[@monicasmithtofantheflames3733]

@@10Tabris01 what does a soul need it's earthly body for in the afterlife? That makes no sense. They did it to preserve their dna so they could be ressurected here.

[@Spade6179]

Bonegan operon! Jason Eck (Aye) kantis forte kaj bele; lia prononco de la egipta aŭdas aŭtentika.

[@theOstenHugo]

i as also going to comment about how i divorced Sarah Ballman (Nefertiti in this prod) bc she played this constantly in the final months of our marriage. i knew she hated me when this would blast from the downstairs office.

[@ursunflower3683]

Know thy Fathers.

[@ursunflower3683]

Favouritism 2

[@neuromantoo]

I have seen Satyagraha and Einstein on the Beach if I could just see this one live!!!

[@BaLayEunMi]

I love this song but you ruined it by interrupting it with an advertisement in the middle. What were you thinking?

[@theOstenHugo]

BaLayEunMi i didn’t get that #ad during my experience i’m sorry this happened to you truly that would ruin the mood for anyone i’m sure

[@joycekoch5746]

This funeral was almost as grand as the one for Rooten Tooten

[@theOstenHugo]

what was Amenhotep’s reputation before his death because hotel men are given a terrible rep x i wondered if it has anything to do with this man.

[@joeharris4345]

Much better without the juggling

[@claudiosebastiao9441]

Holderlin diz ao Faraó: "Em nós tudo se concentra no espiritual, ficamos pobre para ficarmos ricos".

[@dvdlpznyc]

although only mildly slower than what most of us are used to, it’s just lacking in OOMPH

[@n.afonso7171]

💜

[@minghaogong2343]

minimalism is perfect for religious music！

[@franciscosalvacao5853]

Which performance was this one? Is there a DVD to buy about it? Thank you.

[@schroedingersdog7965]

Netcher nefer Neb-Ma'at-Ra Amonhotep, sa Ra, en sut beeteet, neb Khemet!

[@nicholasprakash3411]

Akkadian?

[@nicholasprakash3411]

@@schroedingersdog7965 Cool.

[@schroedingersdog7965]

@@nicholasprakash3411 Egyptian. Ancient Egyptian is a hobby of mine - and it's difficult to think of a more useless hobby! 😉

[@bernardoramirez595]

Wasn't Nevada

[@iainrobb2076]

There's no doubt really that Glass, at his best, is a great composer. He is often a very lazy, predictable and annoying composer, but at his best, he can turn out genius. I don't listen to this opera in full much any longer, but this piece is just wondrous.

[@mortalclown3812]

Recently found a few of his shorter works on Paul Barton's channel. They were a beautiful surprise. You're probably already familiar with them, but I'm finding them quite different from anything else he's done.

[@BalletBabyBoy]

MAGNIFICENT!

[@theOstenHugo]

8:26 who’s the dark skinned guy 😍

[@ilpoilves5485]

Really, who knows who and when this is made!!!???

[@theOstenHugo]

Ilpo Ilves 2013. that’s al i know. poss summer.

[@marianocuevas363]

ME GUSTA UN MONTON

[@KeithOtisEdwards]

Duis nonsequ ismodol oretuer dolore faidunt, luptat aolore con secte dolesed st dolor sevelit er adionse agnisc aut landi gi niet, vendre feum veniamc onlutpatin hentip wisi ese dolesting lorero consecte dunt utpatin elipit nim, quation ullu prat!

[@yolandacroes5491]

I just watched the Met version and my ignorant eyes found it bizarre and the jugglers and singers in semi modern garb extremely distracting. I’ll take this version any day. It might not be the Met but it’s much more immersive.

[@CptSchmidt]

The trumpet at 4:22 was way too unconfident quiet and went out of time. It is meant to be confident and very, very loud. It's the only part of the performance that bugged me because it was incredible otherwise. The wind arpeggios that followed started off great, but their second entrance at about 6:30 was too quiet as well. Still, I loved seeing this!

[@Endzeitstille]

+CptSchmidt mekern auf hohem niveau :-P

[@zak2043]

CptSchmidt I played first trumpet on this production...the trumpet isn't playing at 4:22 dude - and the thing you hear as out of time is how it's supposed to be.

[@CptSchmidt]

Zachary Kingins I am a trumpet player, too, which is why I know it's not being played properly. If you compare this to the original, the trumpets are way too quiet and not on time. They're supposed to be loud and confident. The trumpet starts playing at 4:23. It comes in late and is barely audible compared to how it's supposed to sound.

[@zak2043]

CptSchmidt im glad for you bro, but we weren't playing there and I'm on this performance. As for the dynamics as compared to the original - different hall and interpretation I guess - the MAC is a tricky space and that was the dynamic they told us to play. Sorry it doesn't suit your sensibilities.

[@CptSchmidt]

If you can't hear the trumpet, I don't know what more to say to you besides it proves my point that it's way too quiet. If you were really the one playing, then you should know that. This is one of the trumpet's most prominent parts in the piece (4:23 to 5:07).

[@ReverendPop]

Beautiful new iteration, but they should have been Black. Fabulous.

[@Dimetropteryx]

"Thou"

[@jaychirandu346]

What?

[@ken131]

This song is similar to The Grid. I'm OK with that.

[@SuperDrifter101]

very scary o.0

[@mortalclown3812]

When they bury 45. 🤦 Seriously... Hail Philip Glass.

[@pan_peligroso]

it sounds so empty. : (

[@jimtripman9002]

Seems all Egyptians were European, well it's just a performance, but get a black person to play Cleopatra, and all hell breaks loose.

[@larrymerkle1672]

Phillip Glass' 'music' is Chinese water torture for the ears. But.....to each his own.

[@robbiebryant]

I played this for my ex-wife, she listened quietly and at the end she turned to me and said "Why do you hate me so much?"...I knew at that moment it was a good divorce...

[@rikpepe1]

Awesome.

[@pan_peligroso]

HAHAHAHA!!!! Best post ever! You did good

[@hervescellier6943]

Cynical !

[@dvdlpznyc]

robbie bryant maybe she preferred the original nyc opera recording?

[@harryoliver1130]

Aha! ha ha! good one, man... LOL

[@barrymorentz5190]

This is not opera…it is perverted egotism, an absolute affront to those who revere traditional opera. I am certainly open to modern opera but this endless bombast is mortifying.

[@amilas9161]

art of donestic horticulture.

[@jaychirandu346]

What is this? If you wan to know how the funeral was conducted, please read Jan Assmann's Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt. What is being portrayed here is a complete bastardization of ancient Egypt's most sacred custom.

[@FlowersInHisHair]

It's an interpretation.

[@BalletBabyBoy]

Awful production of a masterpiece

[@jimtripman9002]

Seems all Egyptians were European, well it's just a performance, but get a black person to play Cleopatra, and all hell breaks loose.