Philip Glass's Satyagraha: Gandhi, non-violence and hypnotic opera at the Palais Garnier

From April 10 to May 3, 2026, the Opéra national de Paris presents for the first time Philip Glass's Satyagraha, a hypnotic and political work dedicated to the emergence of Gandhi's thought. Composed in 1980, this score is at the heart of Glass's historic trilogy, alongsideEinstein on the Beach and Akhnaten. In Sanskrit, Satyagraha means "strength of truth": a direct reference to the non-violent doctrine that shaped the Mahatma's commitment. The staging by Bobbi Jene Smithand Or Schraiber, who have already made a name for themselves at theParis Opéra with Pit, highlights the contemporary scope of the work, combining spirituality, commitment and visual poetry.

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Satyragraha is not a narrative opera in the traditional sense. Sung in Sanskrit, the work unfolds in three acts built around major figures who inspired, accompanied or extended Gandhi's thinking: Leo Tolstoy, Rabindranath Tagore and Martin Luther King. The aim is not to follow a linear biography, but rather to traverse a series of meditative tableaux where influences, ideas and historical echoes intersect. Here, Philip Glass composes haunting, repetitive music, creating a climate of contemplation, inner tension and elevation.

This show will appeal to lovers ofcontemporary opera, minimalist compositions and grand philosophical frescoes. Those who appreciate non-linear works, open to interpretation, or sensitive to questions of spirituality and political commitment, will find this a rare and powerful proposition. On the other hand, spectators attached to a classical narrative or a more conventional operatic repertoire may be disconcerted by Satyagraha's very free form, its duration (3h20 with two intermissions), its language (Sanskrit) and its contemplative atmosphere.

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With Satyagraha, theParis Opera offers audiences a unique musical and spiritual experience, at the crossroads of history, philosophy and contemporary operatic art. To be staged at the Palais Garnier from April 10 to May 3, 2026, this immersive show gives voice, in an ancient language and innovative form, to a thought whose scope remains profoundly relevant today.

This article is based on information available prior to the show's creation. It was written without prior viewing of the production.

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