Ed Rampell – Hollywood Progressive
Right on cue, as the mad wannabe-pharaoh unleashes yet another cataclysmic war in the Middle East, LA Opera’s first operatic production of 2026 is about upheaval and regime change in that part of the world. Innovative minimalist composer Philip Glass’ “Akhnaten” is a lavish aural luau and visual feast that reimagines ancient Egypt. Like his 1976 “Einstein on the Beach” and 1980 “Satyagraha” (about Gandhi), Akhnaten is a “portrait opera” about a transformative figure who possesses “the power of inner vision.” Read more…