Einstein on the Beach (2012)

Einstein on the Beach

revival, 2012 - winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production, 2013

by Robert Wilson and Philip Glass
music by Philip Glass
texts by Christopher Knowles, Samuel M. Johnson, Lucinda Childs choreography by Lucinda Childs

First performed on July 25, 1976 at the Festival d’Avignon, Avignon, France

Subsequent performances on October 4, 1976 at the Opéra-Comique & Festival d’Automne, Paris, France, on November 21, 1976 at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, New York, and many others

Revival performances on December 11, 1984 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, New York, on July 24, 1992 in Princeton, New Jersey, on March 17, 2012 in Montpellier, France, and many others

Widely credited as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the 20th century, this rarely performed work launched its director Robert Wilson and composer Philip Glass to international success when it was first produced in Avignon, France in 1976 with subsequent performances in Europe and in New York at the Metropolitan Opera. It is still recognized as one of their greatest masterpieces. Now, nearly four decades after it was first performed and twenty years since its last production, Einstein on the Beach is reconstructed for a major international tour including the first performances in the United Kingdom and the first North American presentations ever held outside of New York City. The international tour of Einstein on the Beach began in the spring 2012 bringing this ground-breaking work to new audiences and an entirely new generation.Einstein on the Beach breaks all of the rules of conventional opera. Instead of a traditional orchestral arrangement, Glass chose to compose the work for the synthesizers, woodwinds and voices of the Philip Glass Ensemble. Non-narrative in form, the work uses a series of powerful recurrent images as its main storytelling device shown in juxtaposition with abstract dance sequences created by American choreographer Lucinda Childs. It is structured in four interconnected acts and divided by a series of short scenes or "knee plays". Taking place over five hours, there are no traditional intermissions. Instead, the audience is invited to wander in and out at liberty during the performance.Einstein on the Beach was revolutionary when first performed and is now considered one of the most remarkable performance works of our time.

“Einstein was like nothing I had ever encountered. For me, its very elusiveness radiated richly, like some dark star whose effects we can only feel. The synergy of words and music seemed ideal...Einstein on the Beach, perhaps, like Einstein himself, transcended time. It’s not (just) an artifact of its era, it’s timeless... Einstein must be seen and re-seen, encountered and savored...an experience to cherish for a lifetime.”

— John Rockwell, Art Critic for The New York Times

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Act 1, Sc. 1A: Train, ensemble

all photography © Lucie Jansch

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Act 1, Sc. 1A: Train, the Boy, Jasper Newell

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Act 1, Sc. 2A: Trial, ensemble

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Act 1, Sc. 2A: Trial, the Judges, Charles Williams and Jasper Newell

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Act 2, Sc. 3A: Field, Lucinda Childs Dance Company