Today in 1980, “Satyagraha,” a new opera by the American composer Philip Glass, had its premiere in Rotterdam by the Netherlands Opera.

Four years earlier, in 1976, Glass’s first big opera, “Einstein on the Beach,” had scored a big hit not only in Avignon, France, where it had premiered, but also at a special, non-subscription performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

But “Einstein” had been written for Glass’s own electronic keyboard ensemble, while the new opera “Satyagraha” was written for the more traditional opera pit orchestra of strings, winds and brass… with an electric organ and synthesizer thrown in for good measure. THAT was, in some ways, a new language for Glass to learn.

And speaking of new languages, for opera singers used to singing in Italian, French or German, the libretto for “Satyagraha,” crafted by Glass and Constance DeJong, was to be sung in ancient Sanskrit, based on texts from Bhagavad-Gita.

"Satyagraha" is a Sanskrit word meaning "truth force." While the text is ancient, the story of the opera is set in modern times, and deals with Mahatma Gandhi's early years in South Africa and his development of non-violent protest as a political tool.

“Satyagraha” is the second of three operas that form a kind of trilogy about men who changed the world: Einstein, Gandhi, and the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhnaten.