Einstein on the Beach

First off, I love Phillip Glass' music and have listened to him for years. Two of my favourite Glass pieces are from Einstein on the Beach (the opera debut was in 1976).

But it's... long! 4.5 hours non stop minimalist music and acting.

Phillip Glass said "It's a story that you have to create for yourself. We don't give you a plot; we give you a theme. And the audience completes the story." As a story, this opera's a lengthy tome!

It's a delightful opera to look at if one only views a few of the acts at a time (called 'knees' in the opera). My low rating is because it simply is too long a production. Trying to sit through the entire 4.5 hours at once is as enjoyable as undergoing a frontal lobotomy.

It's hard to know exactly what to make of Einstein on the Beach, but at least as far as the music side of it goes, it's growing on me. Philip Glass has become one of my favorite artists of late, thanks to how good his music is to listen to while working. I love his film scores, but did eventually come across Einstein on the Beach at one stage. Some versions come in at under three hours, some are three-and-a-half, but when it's performed on stage as an avant-garde opera, it can apparently run up to five hours. This filmed version of that stage production runs a bit over four hours, I think (it was hard to tell, as I watched it in chunks).

From what I can gather, the narrative is pretty vague, and though some things come together a little more from seeing it on stage, 99% of it still goes over my head. But I think I'm coming around to how it sounds. The first time I heard this opera, I thought it was borderline unlistenable, and I don't think I finished it. But having sat through the whole thing a few times (and now watched/listened to this recording), I'm liking it a lot more. Glass is just on another level to us mere mortals and this is him at his most uncompromising and perplexing.

Still, certain moments cut through and feel easy to appreciate. Mainly, there's something very affecting about that ending, coming after four hours of strange, repetitive chants, numerous motifs, and vague pieces of poetry. There's just suddenly a very simple story about love, clearer than anything else that came before. What it means, and why it comes at the point it does, I don't know, but it just feels right.

I have used a 10 star valuation simply because there are no apples to compare with these oranges. Even if you love Philip Glass, theater, minimalism, and startlingly unique performances, watching this production straight through may be a challenge. I hereby give you permission to read a book, catch up on your correspondence, play chess, update your blog or otherwise engage in activities which do not demand your complete attention while enjoying this performance. If you have two screens, set the other to loop KOYAANISQATSI or LA ROUE or run a playlist of your favorite silent films. Use your brain for something besides a sponge. Happy hunting.