The Legend of the Goddess
An Opera composed by Cheryl Bains
Where Vedic Tales meet Mythology
Femina Magazine
"The Legend of the Goddess: Where Vedic Tales Meet Opera, an innovative opera production composed by Cheryl Bains, brought the divine feminine to life through a spellbinding blend of Western Classical and Hindustani Classical Music..."
"Through moving tales, the play honored the enduring power and influence of Vedic goddesses...From the ferocious fury of Goddess Kali to the serene wisdom of Goddess Saraswati, the performance offered a nuanced portrayal of the many facets of women, ensuring that their voice and stories remain etched in time..."
"The Legend of the Goddess is a one-of-a-kind production that reimagines the richness of Vedic mythology through the lens of opera..."
tabla! Newspaper
"The show was like a deep-dive into the mythic and cultural richness of India... almost like being sucked in by a vortex of energy and exhilaration...
Cheryl's interpretation and expression of the Devi culture mixed with her operatic singing and performance prowess kept us in thrall, like a thriller."
I. Of Primordial Waters
Ganga
II. Warrior
Durga
III. Tripura
Sundari
Lakshmi
IV. Lover
Parvati
I. Of Primordial Waters
The first movement, “Of Primordial Waters”, is a remembrance for the nourishing and vital force that has created us, and sustains us all. We begin with an Ode to this Cosmic Mother, of the primordial waters, who incited all creation (before Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva) according to katha. I also honor my Hindustani Classical education by presenting my first-ever Saraswati Vandana.
The rest of this movement is dedicated to narrating the glorious story of Goddess Ganga’s arrival from Heaven to Earth, to revel in the sheer force of her life-giving and sacred river.
Performance Excerpts
Royal Opera House Mumbai, World Premiere
I. Of Primordial Waters
i. Ode
To the Cosmic Mother
I. Of Primordial Waters
iii. River Goddess
Shiva's Ganga Tandav
II. Warrior
Movement 2, “Warrior” is taken over by the magnanimous force that is Goddess Durga. Constructing this movement to me was all about trying to understand her thought process leading up to her famed 9-day battle, slaying the demon “Mahishasura” between days 8 and 9. Given that She is all-knowing and all-powerful, I choose to believe that the observation of Navratri (as a religious festival) didn’t need to be a 9-day affair. It only happened this way because the benevolent Durga exhausts every resource to exercise compassion before enacting her divine wrath.
Performance Excerpts
Royal Opera House Mumbai, World Premiere
II. Warrior
iii. The Battle
Kali Tandav
II. Warrior
iii. The Battle
Divine Wrath ("Aigiri Nandini")
III. Tripura Sundari & IV. Lover
“Tripura Sundari” (movement 3) and “Lover” (movement 4) mark a change in my musical and story-telling style. We move on from narration and dive into the heavy hearts of lovers. I found an unsung beauty in the love stories of Lakshmi-Narayan and Parvati-Shiv — I found the same love, separation, longing and loss that we as humans feel. Despite being Gods and Goddesses, I found that knowing Lakshmi-Narayan and Parvati-Shiv experiencing these human vulnerabilities bridged the gap between what is human and divine for me. In fact, it made their stories more real and precious.
These are stories of faith.
Performance Excerpts
Royal Opera House Mumbai, World Premiere
IV. Lover
iii. O Piya ("O Beloved")
Har Har Mahadev!