CAIRO, July 31, 2018 (MENA) - Egyptologist Dr Zahi Hawass said that "Tutankhamun" Opera will be presented at the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in 2020. GEM will exhibit the full Tutankhamun collection with many pieces to be displayed for the first time. Tutankhamun opera is composed by Zamboni, an Italian opera librettist. In statements on Tuesday, Hawass said the inauguration of GEM in 2020 is one of the great achievements of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, who evinced an unprecedented interest in antiquities. Hawass stressed that the reason behind writing a special opera about the life of King Tutankhamen, the Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (ruled c. 1332–1323 BC in the conventional chronology) is the "inspiring and dramatic life story of Tutankhamun". King Tut was the son of Akhenaten (formerly Amenhotep IV). He ascended to the throne in 1333 BC, at the age of nine or ten, taking the throne name Nebkheperure. His wet nurse was a woman called Maia, known from her tomb at Saqqara. His teacher was most likely Sennedjem. When he became king, he married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten, who later changed her name to Ankhesenamun. Hawass further noted that there was a famous opera entitled "Akhnaten", which is in three acts based on the life and religious convictions of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV). The opera is written by the American minimalist composer Philip Glass in 1983. The libretto is by Philip Glass in association with Shalom Goldman, Robert Israel, Richard Riddell and Jerome Robbins. Akhnaten was commissioned by Württembergische Staatstheater, Stuttgart and had its world premiere on March 24, 1984, at the Stuttgart State Theatre, under the German title "Echnaton".
