Satyagraha (opera)

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Satyagraha is an opera composed by Philip Glass, to a libretto by himself and Constance De Jong. The opera is loosely based on the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi. It is the second part of a trilogy of operas, his "Portrait Trilogy," which also includes Einstein on the Beach and Akhnaten. Some of the text is from the Bhagavad Gita and is sung in the original Sanskrit. In performance, translation is usually provided in supertitles.

It was first performed at the Stadsschouwburg (Municipal Theatre) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on September 5, 1980 by the Netherlands Opera and the Utrecht Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Christopher Keene. It was commissioned by the city of Rotterdam. In 1981 it was performed by the Stuttgart Opera, which went on to perform the complete trilogy in 1990. The premiere in the UK was by Leeds Youth Opera with the first professional UK production at the Midland Arts Centre, Birmingham in 1999.

The title of the opera refers to Gandhi's concept of non-violent resistance to injustice, Satyagraha.

[edit] Plot

The opera is in three acts, each referencing a major related cultural figure: Leo Tolstoy, Rabindranath Tagore and Martin Luther King, Jr.

• I. Tolstoy
  • On the Kuru Field of Justice
  • Tolstoy Farm (1910)
  • The Vow (1906)

• II. Tagore
  • Confrontation and Rescue (1896)
  • Indian Opinion (1906)
  • Protest (1908)

• III. King
  • Newcastle March (1913)