Einstein on the Beach

Different Perspectives to a Single Work

There are many different manners and perspectives to receive just one work; whether is poetry, music, literature, painting, dance and arts in general. I think that the perspective depends on what time or what period the critics or the audience are living in. Therefore, it is clear that there is a considerable connection between…

Metaphor: Love it, Hate, Deal With it

Craig Owens, in his article “Einstein on the Beach: The Primacy of Metaphor,” discusses the idea of language as a structure and its ability to define relationships between objects in a logical manner. Language as a structure defines objects and their infinite possibilities of metaphorical relationships with other objects, which makes it “unnatural,” in a…

Einstein on the Beach: Creators’ Intentions and Audience Reactions

Anyone who sticks around long enough to see half of Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach is likely either intrigued and wants to analyze and understand it, or accepts it as it is and is comfortable with its ambiguity and eccentricity. It is a work made up exclusively of what Glass calls “repetitive structures.” Every…

Responsibility of Interpretation in Einstein on the Beach

Philip Glass’s, Einstein on the Beach, strays far from the traditional operas that came previously in multiple ways. Everything that this opera encompasses, changes perspectives on what opera “is” and “should be.” In particular, before the 20th century, many operas had a certain plot, most dealing with love, or similar life drama. This made…

Einstein on the Beach Aina Olonade Often regarded as the most popular and longest opera composition of Phillip Glass, Einstein on the Beach is a four acts connected by five “knee plays” theatre work. The opera was based on the life of Albert Einstein to showcase his brilliance as a scientist, humanist, and an…

Einstein on the Beach: Hypnotizing Music, Disorienting Staging

In attempting to examine the “opera,” Einstein on the Beach, I found it very difficult to grasp onto any solid idea that either was presented or suggested in the work. Considering the nature and motivation of both Glass and Wilson, this is exactly the kind of result they were hoping for: that the listener would…

The First “Knee Play” of Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach: A Musical Analysis

Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach is one of the most provocative and unconventional works ever to be described as an opera. It is almost five hours long, and while there are several obvious themes, there is no discernable plot and the libretto is fairly nonsensical. What the opera is about is arguably its…

Structured Transformation in Einstein at the Beach and Beyond

Philip Glass, a minimalist composer, broke the rules of traditional opera with his composition, Einstein at the Beach. The opera premiered on July 25, 1976 and is based on Albert Einstein as a “scientist, humanist, and an amateur musician.” At a first listen of Einstein at the Beach, the music seems be random and has…

Einstein on the Beach – Bed Aria

While listening to Einstein on the Beach, this new musical style created certain tension in my ears and my head. I had many first thoughts and impressions as a performer, which I could describe them within this two simple words: vicious circle. Glass wrote this opera in the summer of 1975, and it premiered…