Glass' 'Satyagraha'

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1980, Satyagraha, an opera by the American composer Philip Glass had its premiere in Rotterdam by the Netherlands Opera.

Four years earlier, Glass’ first opera, Einstein on the Beach, had scored a big hit not only in Avignon, France, where it had premiered, but also at a special, non-subscription performance at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

But Einstein had been written for Glass’s own electronic keyboard ensemble, while the new opera Satyagraha was written for the more traditional opera pit orchestra of strings, winds, and brass — in some ways, a new language for Glass to learn.

And speaking of new languages, for opera singers used to singing in Italian, French or German, the libretto for Satyagraha, crafted by Glass and Constance DeJong was to be sung in ancient Sanskrit, based on texts from the Bhagavad Gita.

“Satyagraha” is a Sanskrit word meaning “truth force.” While the text is ancient, the story of the opera is set in modern times and deals with Mahatma Gandhi's early years in South Africa and his development of non-violent protest as a political tool.

Satyagraha is the second in Glass’ opera trilogy about men who changed the world: Einstein, Gandhi and the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhnaten.

Music Played in Today's Program

Philip Glass (b. 1937): Satyagraha; New York City Opera; Christopher Keene, conductor; Sony 39672

On This Day

Births

• 1735 - German composer Johann Christian Bach, the 11th and youngest surviving son of J.S. Bach, in Leipzig. In 1762 he moved to England, where he became famous as “The London Bach.”

• 1791 - German composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer), in Berlin

• 1867 - American pianist and composer Amy Marcey Cheney (a.k.a. Mrs. H.H.A. Beach), in Henniker, New Hampshire

• 1912 - American composer John Cage, in Los Angeles

Deaths

• 1803 - French composer François Devienne, 44, at an asylum in Charenton

Premieres

• 1733 - Pergolesi: opera La Serva Padrona (The Maid as Mistress), in Naples at the Teatro San Bartolomeo

• 1840 - Verdi: opera Un Giorno di Regno (King for a Day), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala

• 1857 - Liszt: A Faust Symphony, in Weimar, conducted by the composer

• 1913 - Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 (first version), in Pavlovsk, with the composer as soloist (Julian date: August 23). This version was lost in a fire during the 1917 Russian Revolution, and the composer reconstructed the work from his sketches. He reintroduced the second version of this concerto in Paris on May 8, 1924, at a concert conducted by Serge Koussevitzky.

• 1927 - Gershwin: musical Strike Up the Band, at the Shubert Theater in Philadelphia; This show included the classic Gershwin songs Strike Up the Band and The Man I Love.

• 1932 - Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos, at the Venice Festival, with the composer and Jacques Février as soloists

• 1942 - Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 2, in Moscow, by the Beethoven Quartet; The start of the performance was delayed due to a German air raid

• 1950 - Arthur Benjamin: Piano Concerto, in Sydney, Australia, with the composer as soloist

• 1980 - Glass: opera Satyagraha, by the Netherlands Opera in Rotterdam, Christopher Keene conducting

• 2000 - Osvaldo Golijov: Las Pasión Según San Marcos (St. Mark Passion) in Stuttgart, Germany, by the orchestra of International Bach Academy and the Schola Cantorum de Caracas, Maria Guinand, conducting; This work was one of four passion settings commissioned by the International Bach Academy to honor the 250th anniversary of Bach's death in the year 2000 (see also: Aug. 28, Sept. 1, 8).

Others

• 1964 - The La Scala Opera begins a month-long residency at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow with a performance of Puccini's Turandot. La Scala is the first European opera company to visit the Soviet Union.