Sāvitri – Gustav Holst (CUOS Michaelmas Show 2025)

Gustav Holst's Sāvitri is an opera adapted from the original setting of Sāvitri and Satyavān in the Mahābhārata. It follows the titular character, a princess unmatched in beauty and intellect, as she sets out alone to find a suitable husband. Finding a simple carpenter in the woods, she is immediately taken with his humility and modest way of life - and upon speaking to him, she finds he is none other than Satyavān, the prince of a neighbouring kingdom, exiled by a violent coup. Admiring his strength of character, she resolves to marry him at once, but all is not well for the pair. The news of her intentions to marry Satyavān is met with a chilling prophecy from Naradha, news-carrier of the Gods. He shares that if Sāvitri marries Satyavān, their bliss will last but one year, until Yama (Death) comes for Satyavān. Undeterred, though deeply troubled, Sāvitri insists upon marrying her lover. The story begins as the year comes to a close, when Yama comes calling for his price. As the prophecy looms, will Sāvitri be able to defend against an archaic force to keep her lover alive, or will she be helpless to fate?