Bertrand Rossi, the brilliant and astute director of the Opéra de Nice, made a bold statement at the start of his tenure on the French Riviera by staging a major work, rarely seen in France.

In 2021, Philip Glass’s Akhnaten has been performed on the French Riviera, winning both critical and public acclaim. The American composer Philip Glass, one of the leading figures of minimalist music, wrote a trilogy of operas on “men who changed the world in which they lived through the power of their ideas.”

By bringing together emerging artists such as Robert Wilson and Lucinda Childs, the first part, Einstein on the Beach (composed in 1976), caused a sensation and marked its era. After Akhnaten, Bertrand Rossi has outpaced the Paris Opera by programming Satyagraha for the very first time in France since its creation!

While the “Grande Boutique” is preparing a production staged by Bobbi Jene Smith for April 2026, Nice once again calls on the legendary Lucinda Childs, who will take on both direction and choreography. On October 3, 5, and 7, 2025, Léo Warynski will conduct the chorus and orchestra of the Opéra de Nice, just as he did in 2021, with a cast featuring tenor Sahy Ratia as Gandhi and Julie Robard-Gendre, also present in 2021.

An ode to peace and humanity, Satyagraha draws inspiration from Gandhi’s journey and his concept of non-violent resistance, while evoking great figures such as the writer Leo Tolstoy, the poet Rabindranath Tagore, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The entire Opéra de Nice company will then head to the Philharmonie de Paris for a concert version of Akhnaten, which is already sold out! Philip Glass and the Opéra de Nice are riding wave after wave of success!

 

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Philip Glass’ Satyagraha production at Opéra de Nice – c – Opéra de Nice