Satyagraha is an opera by Philip Glass (1980), 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.
The opera is in three acts, each referencing a major related cultural figure:
- 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)
The title of the opera, Satyagraha, refers to Gandhi's concept of non-violent resistance to injustice.
Satyagraha was premiered at the Municipal Theatre of Rotterdam on September 5, 1980, by the Nederlands Opera. In 1981 it was performed by the Stuttgart Opera; they went on to perform the complete trilogy in 1990.
Last updated: 05-19-2005 00:36:28
