A windowed balcony of the palace used for state appearances.
The music from the opening of the coronation scene is heard again, played on large bells and providing a musical and dramatic transition to what follows.
Akhnaten is joined by Nefertiti and his mother, Queen Tye. They approach the Window of Appearances and sing (first a solo, then duet, then trio) through the window. It is a hymn of acceptance and resolve and, in spirit, announces a new era.
AKHNATEN:
Oh, one creator of all things
Oh, one maker of all existences
Men came forth from his two eyes
The gods sprang into existence at the utterances of his mouth
TYE & AKHENATEN:
He maketh the green herbs to make cattle live
And the staff of life for the use of man
He maketh the fish to live in the rivers,
The winged fowl in the sky
AKHNATEN & NEFERTITI:
He giveth the breath of live to the egg
He maketh the birds of all kinds to live
And likewise the reptiles that creep and fly
He causeth the rats to live in their holes
TYE, AKHNATEN, NEFERTITI:
And the birds that are on every green thing
Hail to thee maker of all these things
Thou only one.
The music continues with full orchestra. Tye and Nefertiti leave Akhnaten alone. He stands gazing at the distant funeral cortege floating on barques across a mythical river to the Land of the Dead.
stanze 