The London theatre world is marking the 60th anniversary of India's independence with the revival of an operatic tribute by minimalist composer Philip Glass to "father of the nation" Mahatma Gandhi
LONDON: The London theatre world is marking the 60th anniversary of India's independence with the revival of an operatic tribute by minimalist composer Philip Glass to "father of the nation" Mahatma Gandhi.
The English National Opera's production of "Satyagraha" the type of non-violent resistance developed by Gandhi and embraced during his struggles to liberate India from British rule opened to rave reviews.
The 1980 opera focuses on three "spiritual guardians" of satyagraha: Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, who was a friend of Gandhi; Indian Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore; and American civil rights leader Martin Luther King.
The three-act work performed in Sanskrit draws on the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient text revered as sacred by most Hindus which Gandhi read every day.
Glass's opera, which first premiered in 1980, is the second in a trilogy of works about men who changed the world. The two other subjects are physicist Albert Einstein and the ancient Egyptian king Akhnaten.
The ENO's staging comes in the year of Glass's 70th birthday. Now considered one of the most influential composers alive, he has worked with figures as diverse as Ravi Shankar, Allen Ginsburg and Paul Simon.
Time magazine has described it as "the most exhilarating opera composed since World War II," while Britain's Independent called the London production an "extraordinary success."
The new production of "Satyagraha" has been given a more modern slant thanks to the involvement of director Phelim McDermott and designer Julian Crouch of British theatre company Improbable.
Improbable typically favours the use of improvisation, puppetry, music and animation to create uplifting, playful pieces full of child-like wonder.
"Satyagraha" is running at the London Coliseum through May 1.
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