It was gratifying, therefore, that this evening’s premiere was such a resounding triumph, a sumptuous feast for the eyes and ears and an outstanding testament to Glass’s enduring operatic vision.

Between Phelim McDermott’s jaw-dropping production, Karen Kamensek’s incisive conducting, and a cast who triumphed despite the occasional rough patch, Akhnaten was at once invigorating, hypnotic, breathtaking, and strangely moving.

Indeed, despite the opera’s near-four-hour duration (and seemingly endless musical repetitions), this performance was endlessly engrossing: each act felt like one long trance, every slow-motion movement and swirling arpeggio as gripping and enchanting as the next.

I’ll be back later this weekend with a fuller report.

Photo: Karen Almond / Met Opera

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