Opera Review: Peace and Truth in Mid-Air

Satyagraha returns to Brooklyn Academy of Music.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

A wilderness of ramps: Leif Arun-Solen is Gandhi in Satyagraha.
 Photo by Stephanie Berger for BAM.

Once every few seasons, an opera production emerges that enables this writer to see the art form in an entirely new light. This year, that production is Satyagraha by Philip Glass, which returned to the stage of the Brooklyn Academy of Music last week. (BAM NextWave was the sight of the first New York performances of this opera in 1981.) This staging brings Philip Glass' three act meditation on the early years of Mahatma Gandhi to a literal circus, combining singing, dance, aerialism and other feats to make this cool, cerebral opera into a warm and intimate experience.

The Occupation of Lincoln Center

This is what a guy with a sign looks like.'

I'm not actually at Lincoln Center tonight--am home after seeing Avanti! perform at Carnegie Hall. But since I'm home and on WiFi, I'm following the story on Twitter. I thought it would be interesting to share what's going on.

This is what the death of freedom looks like. Photo by Lauren Flanigan.

So the police have barricaded off Josie Robertson Plaza (that's the main plaza with the fountain. The New York Philharmonic let out around 10:30 and attendees were asked to leave quickly and ushered off the plaza.

This is what the end of free speech looks like.

There has been one arrest, a man who was holding up copies of the Occupied Wall Street Journal. There he is surrounded by a swarm of cops.

This is what freedom to assemble looks like.

With the Plaza blocked off, protestors have lined up along Broadway. Composer Philip Glass, whose opera Satyagraha is being played tonight for the final time this season, read a prepared statement:

Philip Glass, reading a statement. Photo by Michael Kink.

Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed also addressed the crowd. Here's a transcript of Mr. Reed's statement from the mic check:

"I'm a musician in New York. I've played all over. I was born in Brooklyn. But I've never been more ashamed than to see the barricades tonight. The police are our army. I want to be friends with them I want to Occupy Wall Street. I support it in each and every way. I'm proud to be part of this. Thank you."
--Lou Reed, addressing the General Assembly at #OccupyLincolnCenter.

Occupy Wall Street to "Mic Check" Lincoln Center

General Assembly planned for Josie Robertson Plaza

Occupy Wall Street poster by Lalo Alcarez.
© 2011 by the artist.

Concert, opera, theater, ballet and circus-goers attending a performance at Lincoln Center tonight might want to give themselves extra time on their commute to and from the venues. That, or use the underground tunnels.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is coming to Lincoln Center Plaza. 

The group, which protests economic inequality, has targeted the arts complex in a post on their website, as the site of a General Assembly, the peaceful (but loud) nightly meeting where members of the movement are given the opportunity to speak, amplified by the "people's mic": a repetition of their statement by the assembled crowd.

Tonight's G.A. is planned to take place in conjunction with the Metropolitan Opera's last 2011 performance of Satyagraha, the Philip Glass opera that explores the life of Mohandis K. Gandhi. The Mahatma's non-violent methods are an inspiration to the Occupy Movement.

Mr. Glass is planning to join the General Assembly and speak to the occupiers. Presumably, he will come out after Satyagraha ends, which should be about 11:15.

The choice of venue is also calculated to annoy New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Mayor Bloomberg, one of the 12 richest men in America, is among the major donors to Lincoln Center.

In November, Mayor Bloomberg personally authorized the NYPD to "evict" the Occupiers' two month old encampment at Zuccotti Park. The action led to citizens, journalists and even a city council member being injured and jailed by the cops. But the clean-out has freed the movement to travel the city and spread ther message.

Another target is  billionaire David H. Koch, the right-wing backer of the Tea Party movement. Mr. Koch recently slapped his name across the former New York State Theater after making a hefty donation to the coffers of the arts center.

If they're blocked from the plaza (as they probably will be, most likely by a combination of Lincoln Center security and NYPD) the Occupiers are planning to stage a hunger strike. According to their website, the strike will continue until they are once more allowed to stage protests in the city's public and privately owned plazas and parks.

Opera Review: Protest and Survive

The Metropolitan Opera revives Satyagraha.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Peaceful journey: Richard Croft as Mohandis K. Gandhi in Satyagraha.
Photo by Ken Howard © 2011 The Metropolitan Opera.

Talk about good timing.

No one could predict that the Metropolitan Opera's scheduled revival of Satyagraha, Philip Glass' 1980 opera retelling incidents in the life of Mohandis K. Gandhi, would coincide with Occupy Wall Street. Based in lower Manhattan, the Occupy movement models itself on the Mahatma's principle of "truth-force", or non-violent protest, that gives the opera its title.

Metropolitan Opera Preview: Satyagraha

Philip Glass' opera retells the life of Gandhi...in Sanskrit.

Soul man: Richard Croft as Mahatma Gandhi in Satyagraha.
Photo by Ken Howard © 2008 The Metropolitan Opera.

Richard Croft reprises the role of Mohandis K. Gandhi in this first revival of the company's 2008 production of Satyagraha: Philip Glass' operatic treatment of an early incident in the life of the Mahatma. The title refers to Mr. Gandhi's practice of passive resistance.

Satyagraha depicts Mr. Gandhi's early efforts fighting for civil rights in British-controlled South Africa, specifically the "Black Act" that restricted the rights of immigrants from India and elsewhere in that country. But the opera does not have a conventional libretto. Mr. Glass adapted the 700 verses of the Bhagavad-Gita for his story, having singers act out the story even as they sing the sacred texts.


The followup to Einstein on the Beach is a much more conventional opera, with an actual plot and tighter musical structure. This is classic early Glass-work, where small tight musical structures are repeated and built upon by the orchestra. These aural building blocks are used to build vast structures, a sonic temple of meditation that invites the listener in.

Did we mention? The work is in Sanskrit. The last time the Met performed Satyagraha (in 2008), the opera was offered with the house's multi-million-dollar Met Titles system turned off. Expect the same for this revival.

Recording Recommendation:
There's only one. Luckily it was reissued last year.

New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus cond. Christopher Keene
Back in the glory days of the 1970s and 80s, City Opera was instrumental in getting Philip Glass' operas performed and explored. The company hosted the first New York performances of Satyagraha and its sequel, Akhnaten, turning the former New York State Theater into Lincoln Center's own Glass cathedral. The late Christopher Keene, who also served as a general manager of the NYCO, conducts.
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