Raise Your Glass! Gandhi's Opera, Satyagraha, Returns to the Met
In the 12 years after Philip Glass first worked with sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar in 1965, the composer frequently traveled to India, becoming fascinated with Mohandas K. Gandhi, a man whose photograph he often encountered in railway stations and public waiting rooms. Inspired to learn more about the “father of the India,” the shaggy-haired experimentalist read Gandhi’s autobiographical book Satyagraha (‘Truth Force’ to those whose Sanskrit is a little rusty), which described the events of his formative years in South Africa when a young Gandhi was first inspired to develop his mantra of non-violent protest. Shortly thereafter, the composer, famous for such works as the 12-toned “Music in Twelve Parts” and “Another Look at Harmony,” decided to honor his inspiration by composing an opera about the famous pacifist. Read More
