Satyagraha - I Kid You Not

That is the name of the opera I saw last night (I added the "I kid you not" bit). Its sanskrit for (I think) nonviolence. There is a very interesting little piece in the programme notes on nonviolence and the fact that there is no word in any language (sanskrit apart apparently) for nonviolence. Discuss (and the answer, by the way, is not "peace" or some such since pacifism apparently is the act of not doing anything whereas nonviolence is an active noun like "war").

Anyway, the whole opera was in sanskrit and was about Ghandi's time in South Africa. God knows how the performers learned their lines. And for all we knew they didn't and just made it up as they went along. Who was there to tell them if they used the subjunctive rather than the pluperfect? I probably couldn't correct you in English on that point though...

Anyway, the opera was superb. The staging was like nothing else you'll see on a stage (apart from the Lion King funnily enough since there was a heavy use of puppets). The Lion King of course doesn't have the music of Philip Glass but rather that of Elton John. Trust me, there's no comparison. Although having said that the Lion King does include quite a bit that is sung in an African language although I'm not sure which one. Anyway, they're completely different. Satyagraha as I said is like nothing else you'll ever see or hear. The music is hypnotic and in places reminiscent of Laurie Andersen and O Superman (for those of you that remember that far back) and in fact the programme notes mention that Philip Glass worked with Ms Andersen. And Satyagraha was written in 1980.

It was also very long - over 3 hours although it was broken down into 3 Acts with 2 intervals. Although the staging to a large extent supported the "action" on stage neither I nor my Uncle nor my Aunt quite worked out the significance of the big ball of sellotape in Act 3. The chap playing Ghandi had a gorgeous voice. And there was one rather startling point where it appeared as though Brunhilde had blundered in from a Wagner opera being staged down the street but she didn't last long.

Loved it, loved it, loved it.

J x