Opera Australia’s short 2023 Melbourne season is limited to concerts, which is disappointing, but what better opera to perform without all the theatrical bells and whistles than Philip Glass’ Satyagraha.

There is little in the way of narrative or character; the focus is on the music, both vocal and instrumental, which conveys emotion through shifts in texture. Putting Orchestra Victoria front and centre not only made sense; it also proved deeply rewarding as they were masterful in this one-off, well attended concert.

Opera Australia’s Satyagraha. Photo © Jeff Busby

Premiering in Rotterdam in 1980, Satyagraha is the middle work of Glass’ ‘portrait’ trilogy, which began with Einstein on the Beach, and concluded with Akhnaten. It’s a meditation on Gandhi’s time in South Africa in the early 20th century, when as a young man he put into practice his philosophy of non-violent resistance to injustice. Through protests, prayer meetings and editorials in the local Indian Opinion newspaper, he and his followers exposed anti-Indian discrimination in the British colony.

There is no dialogue in this roughly two-hour opera, however. The text is lifted from the Hindu holy book, the Bhagavad Gita, with repeated...