# Should I waste my money on Glass's Satragya (or whatever)



## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

at the Met live via telecast in hd? Its only 40 bucks, and during the brief previews of the remaining operas in live in hd the rest of the season, the brief clip of music they played for Phillip Glasses opera actually seemed rather interesting. 

If I go will I be bored out of my mind? or is there a slight chance I might actually appreciate it?


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## Dodecaplex (Oct 14, 2011)

Read this sentence.
Then read it again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
433
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And again.

Had enough? Well, that was actually twice as exciting as listening to something by Phillip Glass. So, I wouldn't do it if I was you.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

I don't know Satyagraha, but I like Akhnaten. Not your typical operatic fare, but hypnotic and beautiful.

As for you, it's hard to say. How open are you to new experiences? The way you've phrased the topic question leads me to wonder.


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

I'll see any successful american new music full size opera. Both of 'em!


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

(ok I concede that two may not be the true operative number but i let accuracy slide for a joke/statement) 

I'm on the fence about glass. Dodecaplex seems like a pretty useless troll, but that made me giggle a tiny bit.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

Waist (sic) your time? Sounds like perhaps you are pretty skeptical going in!

Glass has got to be one of the most polarizing of modern composers. I love Glass personally, though I admit that I do not know this work. But, like any music, YOU need to hear it for yourself and make your own determination. Otherwise, it's gonna be kinda hard to know whether or not you should go forward when one half of the people say yes and the other half say no. Just do it and hopefully it works out for you!


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

obwan said:


> If I go will I be bored out of my mind?


Whether you are or not, you shouldn't let the possibility that you might be stop you from finding out.
If you only ever did things which you could guarantee in advance would not be boring, your life would be pretty empty.



obwan said:


> or is there a slight chance I might actually appreciate it?


Of course. It's not structurally demanding. Think of it more as a set of tableaux than a through-composed drama like _Tosca_. Harmonically and melodically, it's certainly not demanding to the listener and, while it certainly makes demands on the singers (I know because I've sung in it), the repetitiveness for the listener is far less simple than Dodecaplex would have you believe.


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

I listened to the live broadcast on the radio this week and loved it. I'm planning to go to the HD. I thought the music was exquisite and the staging sounded wonderful. The singers were also excellent--and the chorus. How the men get through that Ha Ha chorus astonishes me.

The pictures I've seen of the production look very beautiful indeed.

Do know, it is sung in Sanskrit (!) but apparently many of the projections include the libretto. If you go to the Met Opera page they have a section devoted to the opera and you can also view the libretto and program.

PS I meant to say, my understanding is that the met titles are turned off, but the translation is part of the staging? Not sure if there will be subtitles on the HD production in this case.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

obwan said:


> at the Met live via telecast in hd? Its only 40 bucks, and during the brief previews of the remaining operas in live in hd the rest of the season, the brief clip of music they played for Phillip Glasses opera actually seemed rather interesting.
> 
> If I go will I be bored out of my mind? or is there a slight chance I might actually appreciate it?


While I've never seen the full opera, I enjoyed the clips of it I watched on YouTube. You may want to take a look at those videos to see whether or not you think you'd enjoy hearing the entire performance.


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

Maybe this 'Ha-Ha' chorus is making fun of the audience for wasting their time & money on tickets? 

I would have listened to more of Glass on youtube but I'm on a very slow connection, and can't find much in particular from this opera. Anyone have any suggestions? ( Besides the ha ha chorus, which i'm going to look for right now, if its not too long... )


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## FragendeFrau (May 30, 2011)

From your comments, it sounds as though you have already made up your mind. Why even ask? This is a serious work on a serious and moving subject. There are plenty more Met broadcasts to enjoy if you don't think this is your cup of tea. No problem with that.


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## Grosse Fugue (Mar 3, 2010)

Here is a review to help anybody make up their mind.
http://www.classicstoday.com/Classi...iles/ViewConcertReview.asp?Action=User&ID=676


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

I'm curious, jeremy marchand, fragendefrau, amfortas, mauer, Tapkaara,
What are your tastes in opera and classical music? Do you prefer the Mozartean, baroque, ben canto, verdi, pucinni, wagner, imipressionist or modernist schools and what are your favorite operas and composers?


I ask, seeing that you all seem to appreciate Glass, so that i can tell if i like some of the same music as you all do, than I might decide that I would probably like this opera as well.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

My love of opera started out (and continues) with Wagner, but certainly includes Verdi, Mozart, Strauss, Puccini, etc. I'm trying to become better acquainted with baroque and bel canto opera, along with various twentieth- and twenty-first-century composers. 

I suppose I've enjoyed what little I know of Glass because he *doesn't* sound exactly like any of these others.


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

thank you amfortas. 

I like Wagner also, but for me (although I've been exposed to a little bit of wager since near birth), its been for the most part only since becoming even more in love with opera that I've come to truly appreciate his operas, and even at that there is always a good story to go along with it, otherwise I prefer the singing style of mozart's operas, next verdi, puccini and rossini. From what I hear, the plot in Satragyaha is well, like, not really so much plot-like, or so i hear, so I still don't know what to expect. 


For the record, I did enjoy a clip from satragaha I found on youtube... (the one with the ladders and the chorus bouncing balls in the air (or was it balloons), but I did notice the extreme repetitiveness nature of the song. And whilst it didn't bother me for this once piece, I doubt I could sit through an entire performance if EVERY song is like that. 


Does anyone here know an approximate run time for the metropolitan production?


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

obwan said:


> I'm curious, jeremy marchand, fragendefrau, amfortas, mauer, Tapkaara,
> What are your tastes in opera and classical music? Do you prefer the Mozartean, baroque, ben canto, verdi, pucinni, wagner, imipressionist or modernist schools and what are your favorite operas and composers?
> 
> I ask, seeing that you all seem to appreciate Glass, so that i can tell if i like some of the same music as you all do, than I might decide that I would probably like this opera as well.


My preferences are pretty traditional -- Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, et. al. (and Beethoven!!). I enjoy listening to Wagner's operas, but I'm not what one would consider a dyed-in-the-wool Wagnerian. With more modern composers, I'm willing to watch/listen to their operas, but I need to view as well as hear the performances. I'm not really very familiar with Glass; I'd just come across some of his material on YouTube and was curious to see/hear what it was like.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

I love Glass (enough to fly down to Wellington when he came to New Zealand for an arts festival. I also love and Mozart, Wagner, Donizetti, Handel, Verdi, Puccini, Monteverdi, Prokofiev - OK, just about every mainstream opera composer has a place in my heart. 

However he is an acquired taste and can seem boring. Listening to him is a question of going with the flow and enjoying the subtle shifts in sound, rhythm and harmony. I'm looking forward to the broadcast immensely.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

I remember one evening back in 1992 when Michael Riesman, with a staging from Bob Wilson, performed _Einstein on the Beach_, in Madrid.










Five long, very long, hours. Fortunately, Glass himself was happy with the audience entering and leaving the hall at pleasure. This is not as extravagant as it sounds. For many of the more than 400 years of opera history, there was not a 'sacred' performance, in darkness and full silence. This is, again, a gift from the Romantic period. So I took full advantage to get out a couple of times, and buy some beer to help the time goes by.

Yes, it was rather boring. And bear in mind _Einstein on the Beach_ is actually the second Glass's opera I prefer. It's just too long for its own sake. _Satyagraha_ is somehow better, the best one in my opinion.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Glass of wine, no, you aren't. Philip Glass...I don't like his music...unless you want repeting music again and again

Martin


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## Grosse Fugue (Mar 3, 2010)

Before this I had never seen a Glass opera, but this was one of the best things I've seen in a while. I'm thinking if seeing it again when it encores. The music and message were amazing. Not as minimalistic as some might expect. If it when this Satyagraha arrives on DVD I will buy it as soon as I can. See it if you can. All I'm saying.


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

obwan said:


> I'm curious, jeremy marchand, fragendefrau, amfortas, mauer, Tapkaara,
> What are your tastes in opera and classical music? Do you prefer the Mozartean, baroque, ben canto, verdi, pucinni, wagner, imipressionist or modernist schools and what are your favorite operas and composers?


I like Glass's early operas because I like Glass. Or used to. Early Glass. And in small doses.
I don't like opera as a genre - don't even like many of the operas of most of the composers I like. Willing to listen to Mozart's and Monteverdi's operas because I like those composers. And contemporary anti-operas such as Lachenmann's _The little match girl _and Stockhausen's _Licht _cycle.

My favourite conventional operas are Berlioz _La Damnation de Faust_, Debussy _Pelleas et Melisande_, Bartok _Bluebeard's castle_, Tippett _The midsummer marriage_.


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

just got back from the broadcast. I thought it was remarkable and magnificent.


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