Germany Glass, Satyagraha: Soloists, Chorus and Extras of Staatsoper Hannover, Niedersächsisches Staatsorchester Hannover / Masaru Kumakura (conductor). Staatsoper Hannover, 8.9.2024. (DMD)
Production:
Director – Daniel Kramer
Set designer – Justin Nardella
Costumes – Shalva Nikvashvili
Lighting – Andreas Schmidt
Video – Chris Kondek
Dramaturgy – Sophia Gustorff
Chorus director – Lorenzo Da Rio
Cast:
M. K. Gandhi – Shanul Sharma
Miss Schlesen – Meredith Wohlgemuth
Mrs Naidoo – Ketevan Chuntishvili
Kasturbai – Beatriz Miranda
Mr Kallenbach – Lluís Calvet i Pey
Mrs Alexander – Freya Müller
Prince Arjuna – Darwin Prakash
Parsi Rustomji / Lord Krishna – Markus Suihkonen
The stage was dimly lit, revealing a built water pool reminiscent of an Indian structure, like the Taj Mahal. A gentle single beam of light emerged at the very top of the stage, and ever so slowly a seat was lowered from the fly tower, with Shanul Sharma seated in lotus posture, representing the character of Gandhi. Much later, a second seat was lowered, slightly faster, with Arjuna on it (Darwin Prakash), finally Markus Suihkonen as Lord Krishna. Thus, the production of the opera with the title taken from Sanskrit, and with a libretto in Sanskrit, opened within the cultural context associated with Sanskrit, India, and three characters central to ancient Indian philosophy and twentieth-century South Asian politics, respectively.
Soon after the three characters had reached the ground and left their seats, Gandhi was shot and prepared for reincarnation. The remainder of the opera remained true to the Sanskrit libretto (projected in German translation). However, the action/plot and other characters of the original opera, premiered in 1980, were the creation of the Hannover State Opera’s production team headed by director Daniel Kramer. Act II was set in 2048, somewhere on planet Earth, near-uninhabitable from overheating. The rich were leaving to live on other planets, slave-like workers were making a futile attempt at Gandhi-like resistance. Act III was set in 3048. Once-privileged humans were now being cared for by a Gandhi-like carer. The final scene took us 65 million years into the future. A new species was inhabiting the Earth, as violent as humans, and a Gandhi-like character restored order and justice. Finally, Gandhi’s soul left Earth for ever and merged with the divine.
Much of Justin Nardella’s design was in the form of projections of still images and video, making use of all currently available stage and visual technology except virtual reality, exploring the space to its full extent. In line with the vastness of time represented in the plot, the space was made to appear as vast as possible. The result was a well-integrated amalgamation of contributing elements – impressive, imaginative, vivid and colourful alike. Broad strokes and minute detail went together well, and the design did not succumb to the temptation of becoming sensually overwhelming: I never felt the need to close my eyes, far from it. The landscapes created by the design represented planet Earth, and the Moon, in the past, the present and the near and very distant future, in a credible way. It did not shy away from representing problematic and adverse circumstances, not in an in-your-face manner but by creating distance through its specific aesthetic beauty.
All in all, the design supported and enriched the atmosphere created by the music: calming and meditative while at the same time never boring, but mindful and alert. Masaru Kumakura kept the tension in Glass’s minimalist score throughout the performance, maintaining a good balance between the meditative nature of the music, and the lively structures which do exist within that framework. The chorus sang just as well as the soloists, while Shanul Sharma as Gandhi was the pivot for the production. His stage presence was comfortable, his voice sounded fresh, his legato excellent. Altogether, this was a remarkable ensemble achievement, approaching an idea of Gesamtkunstwerk, artistic synthesis.
Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe