NEW YORK, USA, April 11, 2008: An imaginative restaging of “Satyagraha,” a Philip Glass opera about the early life of Gandhi, has premiered at the New York Metropolitan Opera on April 11.
“Satyagraha” is the middle work in Mr. Glass’s trilogy of operatic portraits, between “Einstein on the Beach” and “Akhnaten.” Written in 1979, the libretto is drawn from the Bhagavad-Gita, and bears little direct relation to the action, which plays out in a series of tableaus that crisscross time. The action focuses on Gandhi’s early years and inner awakening as a leader of the oppressed.
The tenor Richard Croft, who shaved his head and lost ten pounds for the role, plays Gandhi. But the most impressive figures on scene might be giant puppets made for the opera; twenty feet tall, they emphasize the gigantic forces Gandhi opposed on his quest.