ENO & Metropolitan Opera Collaborate On Philip Glass's

On the heels of the success of their first co-production, Puccini's Madam Butterfly, English National Opera (ENO) and the Metropolitan Opera announce that they will co-produce Philip Glass's Satyagraha. The new production is a collaboration with director Phelim McDermott and designer Julian Crouch, two of the three co-artistic directors of the visionary British theatre company, Improbable. It opens at ENO in April 2007 and at the Met in April 2008.

Satyagraha, written in 1980, is the second in Philip Glass's famous "portrait" trilogy, which includes Einstein on the Beach (1975) and Akhnaten (1983-84). Satyagraha is based on Mohandas K. Gandhi's formative years in South Africa, when he developed his philosophy of non-violent protest as a powerful force for change, the Sanskrit word satyagraha literally meaning "truth" and "firmness," or "force through truth."

Described by The Guardian as 'one of the most energising and provocative forces in British theatre', Improbable's work is highly imaginative and spontaneous and often involves animation in performance, as witnessed in their first production 70 Hill Lane and the outdoor show Sticky. Phelim McDermott's and Julian Crouch's electrifying production of Shockheaded Peter enjoyed critically acclaimed runs in both London and New York City.

"With this co-production of Glass' masterpiece, Satyagraha, the Met's commitment to presenting important contemporary works on an on-going basis has been jump started," said Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Met. Previously, Mr. Gelb had announced plans to present a modern work every season, beginning in 08/09 with John Adams' Doctor Atomic.

Says ENO Artistic Director John Berry, "ENO is pleased to be continuing its close creative collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera on another adventurous new production. We are thrilled that Improbable have chosen to make their opera debut at ENO, and we welcome the return of Philip Glass to the company."

As part of their sponsorship of ENO's season, Sky & Artsworld are particularly keen to nurture productions that are inventive, contemporary and reach new audiences. This season they chose Satyagraha as the Sky Focus production, and it is made possible by their generous support. Satyagraha opens at the London Coliseum on April 5, 2007. The production will be presented by the Met in April 2008.

ENO and the Met created a sensation with their first co-production, Anthony Minghella's production of Puccini's Madam Butterfly, which played to sold-out houses in both theatres. It premiered first at ENO in 2005 and subsequently attracted huge attention when it opened the Met season in September 2006.

By www.eno.org

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Posted December 25th, 2006 by ruzik_tuzik