P Glass & R Wilson – Einstein On The Beach

3 min de lecture
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Einstein on the Beach (1976) is a pivotal work in the oeuvre of Philip Glass

I found an interesting place about this huge work ! Einstein on the Beach (1976) is a pivotal work in the oeuvre of Philip Glass. It is the first, longest, and most famous of the composer’s operas, yet it is in almost every way unrepresentative of them. Einstein was, by design, a glorious “one-shot” – a work that invented its context, form and language, and then explored them so exhaustively that further development would have been redundant. But, by its own radical example, Einstein prepared the way – it gave permission – for much of what has happened in music theater since its premiere. Check the dvd.

P.Glass said

The music for Einstein on the Beach was written in the spring, summer and fall of 1975. Bob Wilson and I worked directly from a series of his drawings which eventually formed the designs for the sets. Prior to that period, we had reached agreement on the general thematic content, the overall length, its divisions into 4 acts, 9 scenes and 5 connecting “knee plays”. We also determined the makeup of the company-4 principal actors, 12 singers, doubling when possible as dancers and actors, a solo violinist, and the amplified ensemble of keyboards, winds and voices with which my music is usually associated.

The release

An Opera in four acts for ensemble, chorus and soloists

Music & Lyrics : Philip Glass / Design & Direction : Robert Wilson

Performed by The Philip Glass Ensemble :

Michael Riesman : musical director, keyboards
Gregory Fulkerson : violin
Jon Gibson : soprano saxophone, flute
Martin Goldray : keyboards
Kurt Munkacsi : sound design
Richard Peck : alto & tenor saxophones, flute
Andrew Sterman : flute, piccolo, bass clarinet

Chorus:
Soprano : Marion Beckenstein, Lisa Bielawa, Michèle A. Eaton, Kristin Norderval
Mezzo-sopranos : Katie Geissinger, Margo Gezairlian Grib, Eisa Higby
Tenors : Jeffrey Johnson, John Koch, Eric W. Lamp
Baritones : Jeff Kensmoe, Gregory Purnhagen, Peter Stewart
Soprano soloist, “Bed” : Patricia Schuman
Spoken text : Lucinda Childs, Gregory Dolbashian, Jasper McGruder, Sheryl Sutton

Spoken text authors :
“Prematurely Air-Conditioned Supermarket” by Lucinda Childs
“All Men are Equal”, “Two Lovers” by Samuel M. Johnson
“Text: Knee Play 1”, “Crazy Eddie”, “Mr. Bojangles”, “Text: Knee Play 2”, “I Feel the Earth Move” by Christopher Knowles

Tomato Records TOM-4-2901 (1979, 4 LPs)

Fondateur de Houz-Motik, coordinateur de la rédaction de Postap Mag et du Food2.0Lab, Cyprien Rose est journaliste indépendant. Il a collaboré avec Radio France, Le Courrier, Tsugi, LUI... Noctambule, il œuvre au sein de l'équipe organisatrice des soirées La Mona, et se produit en tant que DJ. Il accepte volontiers qu'on lui offre un café...

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