The Sun Hymn of Echnaton

Aton, written in 1959 for baritone soloist, choir, speaker, speaking chorus and orchestra, is based on the ancient Egyptian hymn to the Sun by the pharaoh Akhenaton. Its five movements pay homage to the sun as one and only god using Bergman’s unique and expressive language, in which choir and soloist alternate in a continuing narrative. The English version is based on a a translation from the original hieroglyphs by Robert Anderson.