Today, 2 October, is the birthday of Gandhi, the symbol of India's independence. Introducing the masterpiece opera starring Gandhi!

Today is the birthday of Gandhi, the symbol of India's independence. Introducing the masterpiece opera starring Gandhi! - 2023.10.02
Philip Glass Opera "Satyagraha"

A)
It is a masterpiece of minimal music on the theme of "non-violence and non-obedience".
Today, 2 October, is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), the symbol of India's independence.

B)
Gandhi's achievements have been portrayed in many works, including the 1982 film "Gandhi", but the one that has left the most remarkable personal impression on me is Philip Glass's (1937-) opera "Satyagraha" (first performed in 1979).

C)
"Satyagraha" is a Sanskrit word coined by Gandhi, meaning "adherence to and assertion of truth", and a movement of non-violence and non-obedience was developed using this word as a slogan.

D)
The music incorporates Grass's striking minimalism, and the stage setting, interwoven with Sanskrit chants and repeated pieces, gives the impression of new possibilities for opera.

E)
The trilogy includes "Einstein on the Beach" (first performed in 1976), about the scientist Einstein, "Satyagraha" and "Akhnaten" (first performed in 1983).

E)
Akhnaten, the ancient Egyptian king who advocated monotheism, is a masterpiece of minimal music depicting significant figures in science, politics and religion.

Today is the birthday of Gandhi, the symbol of India's independence. Introducing the masterpiece opera starring Gandhi! - 2023.10.02
32nd Philip Glass Opera "Satyagraha"

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In Focus: Glass's Akhnaten

1)
The Pharaoh Akhnaton was a young ruler with a grand vision of monotheism, the worship of a single god embodied in the sun. This new thing focused on ancient history, specifically ancient Egypt, a timeless period with this hypnotic, mystical score that works like memory.

2)
In the 1970s and 80s, Philip Glass famously composed what is known as the Portrait Trilogy of operas; there was Einstein on the Beach, which was about science; Satyagraha, which was about Gandhi and politics; and the opera Akhnatan, which premiered in 1984, which was about the whole idea of religion.

3)
Akhnatan himself is a fascinating historical figure, the pharaoh of Egypt. Around 1350 BC, he changed the entire system of his country.

He suppressed the worship of the old gods and built a city dedicated explicitly to one god, the sun god Aten. However, he was not a typical-looking person; we know from a few representations that he was perhaps a little deformed.

4)
He married the most beautiful woman in the ancient world, Nefertiti, and we have some of her love poetry, but we don't know about it. We have some of her love poetry, but we don't know much about him because his monotheistic system was wiped out, and he was erased from the historical record after he died.

5)
Now, the creators of this opera found it almost helpful to their purposes that Akhnatan was wiped out of history. It left them a lot of room for speculation plot in the sense of who does what to whom is not the point.

6)
In this opera, the story unfolds like a ritual in which we all take part; what we have is a series of scenes built around significant events: we have the funeral of Akhnathan's father, which is the passing of the old order, we have Akhnathan's coronation, the establishment of a new order, then we have that order passing and being destroyed, and finally we have the memory of the idea.

7)
Philip Glass's musical style suits these speculative and philosophical ideas well. It's right there in the music because he's famous for working with these musical figures that repeat several times and then develop very minutely.

There might be a different note for a couple of bars and then another, and pretty soon, you're in a completely different place, wondering how you got there.

8)
The lyrics are adapted from ancient texts, some in English translation, some in ancient Egyptian in another ancient language, and then some spoken text. The orchestration is exciting.

There's a lot of percussion and a lot of brass, mainly to emphasise the ceremonial and military aspects of the score; interestingly, there are no violins.

9)
This came about initially as what the composer calls a happy accident. There was no room in the orchestra pit they had to use for the premiere, and he thought something had to go.

Instead, we have the violas as the highest-registered string instrument in the orchestra, creating a unique texture and a vibrant, beautiful sound. Akhnatan himself, the title role, is written for a countertenor, which in itself is extraordinary.

10)
You'll know immediately that Akhnatan is not just another king on the opera stage. The countertenor's voice has an intrinsically otherworldly sound. It encompasses all genders. It's not between male and female. It is both; therefore, like the spiritual life, which has no gender, it has a divine quality.

One of the central pieces of the opera is a hymn to the sun, which is Akhnaton's text and a very important one in the history of religion, and this is sung in English on Glass's instructions; he always wanted this part to be sung in the language of the audience.

11)
One of the aspects of this moment in history that continues to fascinate people is how much cannot be known about this very ancient reign of a pharaoh. If you take this opera on its terms, it is the story of dreams, aspirations, loss, and memory.

12)
I find it strangely poignant and influential in the way that the best operas are; even though Akhnaton doesn't unfold in standard operatic form, it grows with its logic and its certainty; you'll find that it's as great a journey as any you'll encounter in the opera house.

In Focus: Glass's Akhnaten

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emtIbDwdgeY

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Today is the birthday of Gandhi, the symbol of India's independence. Introducing the masterpiece opera starring Gandhi! - 2023.10.02Philip Glass Opera "Satyagraha"

Today is the birthday of Gandhi, the symbol of India's independence. Introducing the masterpiece opera starring Gandhi! - 2023.10.0232nd Philip Glass Opera "Satyagraha"

In Focus: Glass's Akhnaten

Philip Glass' music and where to start

Introduction Satyagraha

Satyagraha

Philip Glass's Satyagraha ǀ English National Opera

Satyagraha: Opera in Sanskrit about Mahatma Gandhi by Philip Glass

Opera "Satyagraha" by Phillip Glass, English National Opera, London, 2007

How an opera gets made

Philip Glass: Akhnaten - The Window of Appearances

Akhnaten - Hymn to the Sun (Anthony Roth Constanzo)

Philip Glass - Akhnaten [FULL ALBUM]

Today is the birthday of Gandhi, the symbol of India's independence. Introducing the masterpiece opera starring Gandhi! - 2023.10.02
Philip Glass Opera "Satyagraha"

Today is the birthday of Gandhi, the symbol of India's independence. Introducing the masterpiece opera starring Gandhi! - 2023.10.02
32nd Philip Glass Opera "Satyagraha"