This month marks the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking minimalist opera, Einstein on the Beach, premiering on July 25, 1976 at the Festival d'Avignon in France. The opera, composed by Philip Glass and directed by theater visionary Robert Wilson, would \shattering the rules of conventional opera forever change the landscape of music, theater and where the two meet, in what is now widely considered one of the greatest artistic achievements of the 20th century.
Taking the life and work of Albert Einstein as a point of departure, the opera also serves as the first installment in Glass's "Portrait Trilogy," which focuses on historical figures—followed by Satyagraha (focusing on Mahatma Ghandi) and Akhnaten (the Egyptian Pharoh). each of whom, in different ways, transformed the world through their ideas rather than through military force.
A radical work that completely abandons a linear story, Einstein on the Beach, instead, functions as an impressionistic, dreamlike mosaic of images, movements, and music centered around the subtext of science and Albert Einstein's legacy.
Massive in Scale (a full performance runs roughly five hours without any traditional intermissions), the opera is also unorthodox in its scoring, with Glass bypassing the traditional operatic orchestra in favor of electric keyboards, woodwinds, and vocals of the Philip Glass Ensemble, alongside a solo violinist costumed as Einstein. The chorus sings no standard libretto—rather, tvocals consist entirely of solfège syllables (do, re, mi...) and numbers representing the rhythmic beats of the music, overlaid with cryptic spoken-word poetry. Also innovative is the approach to structure, with the acts are bridged by short, transitional scenes called "knee plays"—acting as thematic "joints" that allow for seamless dramatic flow (not to mention scenery adjustments).
On this afternoon's Classical Music with Foley Schuler, we'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of this landmark achievement with several selections drawn from Einstein on the Beach as our musical ceterpiece, along with a diverse array of other music spanning the centuries.
You can hear Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday afternoon on blue Lake Public Radio.
