Satyagraha

[Dave2002]

Anyone trying this at ENO? Very weird.

[MickyD]

I have the original Sony set on CD...I like the music, but not as much as Akhnaten, which I consider Glass's masterpiece.

[VodkaDilc]

Akhnaten at ENO last year was one of the best productions I've ever seen there. I'm going to Satyagraha next week; with many of the same production team involved, I'm expecting a memorable night.

Incidentally, there was a ridiculously dismissive review of it in the Telegraph last week. The reviewer, Rupert Christiansen, spent most of the space he had slagging off the composition and virtually ignoring the production. Why send a reviewer who is completely out of sympathy with the muscal style being presented? Naturally I completely ignore the opinions of reviewers, so I'm now looking forward to it even more.

[Dave2002]

I have the original Sony set on CD...I like the music, but not as much as Akhnaten, which I consider Glass's masterpiece.

I saw a much earlier ENO production of Akhenaten - but not the fairly recent one. I don’t therefore know how they compared. I found Satyagraha fairly incomprehensible - is it trying to “say” something - what? There were no audible words in any language I understand, and no surtitles or translation. I just gave up and “enjoyed” the immersive experience. Some of it was dynamic, and some of it clever, while some seemed pointless. Parts are seemingly beautiful, but may outstay their welcome. The last 20 minutes or so could have been truncated to 3-4 minutes, and indeed much of the last act seemed long winded. The production is overall pretty good- though I did wonder if some of the dramatic? (e.g. people on stilts, actors “floating” up to the heights, etc.) effects are from pseud’s corner - not really serving any good purpose. One scene seemed reminiscent of a Bosch painting.

I suppose there must be written out parts, though I did start to wonder if some of the music is aleatoric, and therefore a compressed notation might be used - e.g repeat your up-down arpeggios as you like until the red light comes on - the red light perhaps being a signal from the conductor. For some players this might be a bigger nightmare than Schubert’s 9th.
I imagine a condensed notation would cause synchronisation problems between the instrumentalists in the pit, and the singers above. Does anyone know what Glass’s scores look like?

It is not Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, Wagner or Strauss. Worth seeing once I think - a strange experience - but whether I’ll ever pluck up enough enthusiasm to try to understand it further and see it again is very questionable.

[Richard Barrett]

I suppose there must be written out parts, though I did start to wonder if some of the music is aleatoric, and therefore a compressed notation might be used - e.g repeat your up-down arpeggios as you like until the red light comes on - the red light perhaps being a signal from the conductor. For some players this might be a bigger nightmare than Schubert’s 9th.
I imagine a condensed notation would cause synchronisation problems between the instrumentalists in the pit, and the singers above. Does anyone know what Glass’s scores look like?

Glass's orchestral music is not aleatoric, although of course it does contain repeat indications. Actually his orchestral parts don't contain that much more repetition than those of operas by Rossini or Donizetti.

[VodkaDilc]

I just gave up and “enjoyed” the immersive experience.

I'm sure that Glass would be quite happy with that approach.