David Dalle
Thursday October 21st, 2021 with David Dalle
Katayoun Goudarzi and Shujaat Husain Khan join me to discuss their longstanding collaboration and their brand new album. Philip Glass' "Akhnaten" Act III.
Today I am joined by two esteemed guests, the Iranian-American singer Katayoun Goudarzi and sitarist Shujaat Husain Khan, heir to the extremely important and influential Imdadkhan Gharana in Hindustani music. They discuss their long partnership and their brand new album "This Pale" with Shaho Andalibi on nay and Shariq Mustafa on tabla.
| Speaking with Katayoun Goudarzi and Shujaat Husain Khan. |
| Tender Shujaat Husain Khan, Katayoun Goudarzi, Shaho Andalibi, Shariq Mustafa - This Pale - Lycopod Records 
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| Wild Shujaat Husain Khan, Katayoun Goudarzi, Shaho Andalibi, Shariq Mustafa - This Pale - Lycopod Records
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| All I've Got Shujaat Husain Khan, Katayoun Goudarzi, Shaho Andalibi, Shariq Mustafa - This Pale - Lycopod Records
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| We continue with third and final act from Philip Glass' 1983 opera "Akhnaten" in a new live recording from the Metropolitan Opera. As with most Glass operas, there is no strict narrative, but rather scenes which evoke the life of Akhnaten. Act III is the final year of Akhnaten's reign with the unusual inclusion of a scene from the present. During the last year of his 17 year reign, Akhnaten was obsessed with ritual and his large family and was ignoring the crumbling of his kingdom outside the new capital city he founded, Akhetaten. Rebellious priests and citizens attack the palace and Akhnaten is killed. His son, Tutankhaten, is crowned as Pharaoh in a similar ceremony to his father's (Tutankhaten would change his name to Tutankhamun in the 2nd year of his reign, as he completely abandoned the cult of Aten his father had established and revived the previous polytheistic religion). Interspersed with this scene is one which takes place in the present, as an Egyptologist is lecturing to a group of students planning a visit to Amarna, (the modern day name for the ruins of Akhetaten). The final scene has the spirits of Akhnaten, his wife Nefertiti, and his mother Queen Tye singing a wordless vocalise. An extraordinarily sad ending I find, as if they are lamenting the complete loss of their world, their entire understanding of their universe, vanished almost 3400 years ago.
This was Philip Glass' 3rd opera, and it had some unique musical aspects to it. One arose by circumstance. The premiere of the opera was in Stuttgart, but since the Stuttgart State Opera house was being restored, it was scheduled for a theater with a smaller opera pit. Instead of reducing the number of strings, Glass decided to eliminate the violins altogether, leaving only the violas, cellos, and doublebasses for the strings. This creates a much darker, richer sound for the opera. Also, he wrote the role of Akhnaten for a countertenor, which is a male singer trained to sing a contralto range in falsetto. This rarely heard voice type just adds to the mystery of the opera. I admit, since getting the recording, I have been a bit obsessed with this glorious piece! You can listen to Act I here: https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/105/53745.html Act II here: https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/105/53807.html |
| Act III scene 1: The Family Philip Glass/Anthony Roth Costanzo, J'Nai Bridges, Disella Larusdottir, Zachary James, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Karen Kamensek - Akhnaten - Orange Mountain Music
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| Act III scene 2: Attack and Fall Philip Glass/Anthony Roth Costanzo, J'Nai Bridges, Disella Larusdottir, Zachary James, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Karen Kamensek - Akhnaten - Orange Mountain Music
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| Act III scene 3: The ruins Philip Glass/Anthony Roth Costanzo, J'Nai Bridges, Disella Larusdottir, Zachary James, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Karen Kamensek - Akhnaten - Orange Mountain Music
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| Act III scene 4: Epilogue Philip Glass/Anthony Roth Costanzo, J'Nai Bridges, Disella Larusdottir, Zachary James, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Karen Kamensek - Akhnaten - Orange Mountain Music
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| Speaking of opera, the Metropolitan Opera is bringing Terence Blanchard's "Fire Shut Up In My Bones" to their Live in HD to cinemas worldwide and in Ottawa this Saturday. If you have not attended a Live in HD performance, these are live performances at the Met livestreamed, it is the best way to experience opera in Ottawa! Terence Blanchard is a jazz trumpeter and composer who moves very easily between the classical and jazz worlds. We will end the show with some more music from Terence Blanchard's new album "Absence".
https://www.metopera.org/season/in-cinemas/2021-22-season/fire-shut-up-in-my-bones-live-in-hd/ |
| Absence Terence Blanchard featuring the E Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet - Absence - Blue Note
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| Dark Horse Terence Blanchard featuring the E Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet - Absence - Blue Note
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Listening along!
2:02 PM, October 21st, 2021