He is the star, but Akhnaten is so grand a picture that there is no star. His centrality does not leap forward to the footlights; he gladly joins the other singers, or rather brings them in to join hi

All this is anchored by Costanzo’s extraordinary central performance. He first appears for his coronation naked and totally shaved like a newborn baby, and the first piercing note of his clean, almo

Anthony Roth Costanzo, whom I first encountered at the 2008 Glimmerglass Festival as Nireno in Giulio Cesare, has grown into a magnificent artist. Both he and his countertenor are lithe and focused, a

These responsibilities rest most heavily on the shoulders of the conductor, and Karen Kamensek has integrated Akhnaten into the very core of her being. Kamensek kept the music flowing with clocklike p

Karen Kamensek conducts the score with an admirable balance of power and dynamic restraint. Every constituent part is clear, and every slight shift in the score is audible — often with hair-raising