Satyagraha (opera)
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Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Satyagraha (/sʌtˈjɑːɡrəhə/; Sanskrit सत्याग्रह, satyāgraha "insistence on truth") is a 1979 opera in three acts for orchestra, chorus and soloists, composed by Philip Glass, with a libretto by Glass and Constance DeJong.
Loosely based on the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi, it forms the second part of Glass's "Portrait Trilogy" of operas about men who changed the world, which also includes Einstein on the Beach and Akhnaten.
Glass's style can broadly be described as minimalist. The work is scored for 2 sopranos, 2 mezzo-sopranos, 2 tenors, a baritone, 2 basses, a large SATB chorus, and an orchestra of strings and woodwinds only, no brass or percussion. Principal roles are Miss Schlesen, M.K. Gandhi, Mr. Kallenbach and Parsi Rustomji.
The title refers to Gandhi's concept of non-violent resistance to injustice, Satyagraha, and the text, from the Bhagavad Gita, is sung in the original Sanskrit. In performance, translation is usually provided in supertitles.
Contents
Performance history
Satyagraha was commissioned by the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands, and first performed at the Stadsschouwburg (Municipal Theatre) there on September 5, 1980, by the Netherlands Opera and the Utrecht Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bruce Ferden.[1]
The opera premiered in North American at the Artpark in Lewiston, New York, on July 29, 1981. It was also staged that same year by the Stuttgart Opera (which went on to perform the complete trilogy in 1990); this production was taped during its revival in 1983 and released on video.[2]
The UK premiere was a joint production by Bath Spa University[3] and Frome Community College[4] in the theatre of Kingswood School.,[5] Bath in 1997.[6]
In 2007 a new UK staging was prepared by the English National Opera and Improbable theatre, co-produced by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. This opened in London in April[7] and in New York the following April.[8] Well received, it was revived in London in February 2010[9] and in New York in November 2011; the New York performance on November 19 was part of the Met Opera: Live in HD series.
On September 16, 2014 a new production was staged at the Ekaterinburg State Academic Opera in Russia. The creative team included Thaddeus Strassberger (direction and scenic design), Mattie Ullrich (costume design) Oliver von Dohnanyi (conductor).
Synopsis
The opera is in three acts, each referencing a major related cultural figure.
Act 1
- On the Kuru Field of Justice
- Tolstoy Farm (1910)
- The Vow (1906)
Act 2
- Confrontation and Rescue (1896)
- Indian Opinion (1906)
- Protest (1908)
Act 3
- Newcastle March (1913)
Recordings
- S. Woods, D. Perry; Keene, New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus. 1984 (Sony)
See also
References
- ↑ Philip Glass.com Satyagraha
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bath Spa University website
- ↑ Frome College website
- ↑ Kingswood Theatre
- ↑ Phil Johnson, "Review: OPERA Satyagraha Kingswood School, Bath", The Independent (London), 20 February 1997. Retrieved 23 August 2013
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Satyagraha
- ↑ Satyagraha, English National Opera Productions page
External links
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Satyagraha, the 1983 film, at IMDb
- Satyagraha at PhilipGlass.com
- The Truth Force at the Met Daniel Mendelsohn review of Satyagraha from The New York Review of Books
- Libretto at The Metropolitan Opera
- [1] Vedomisti review of premiere in Ekaterinburg
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