Opera

Einstein on the Beach

An opera in four acts by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson for ensemble, choir and soloists
MaerzMusik extended

Inga Maren Otto has made the Berlin performance of “Einstein on the Beach” possible through a generous donation.

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Einstein on the Beach

Einstein on the Beach. [Cinema trailer]

© Pomegranate Arts, Inc. / Berliner Festspiele

  • Length approx. 280 min. As Einstein on the Beach is performed without intermission, the audience is invited to leave and re-enter the auditorium quietly as desired.
  • In English

Past Dates

Side programme
2. March 2014, 12:30: Films and discussion
3 March 2014, 11:00: Press talk
5 March 2014, 17:00: Introduction to “Einstein on the Beach”

In 1976, audiences around the globe experienced a collective dream. Time slowed, sound tumbled everywhere and nowhere, and cryptic images froze in light. It was the collaboration of the century: Robert Wilson and Philip Glass, two chief manipulators of artistic time, joined forces in the name of another time-bender, Einstein, to create a visual, kinetic, and musical work that forever revolutionized the landscape of artistic achievement.

Following critically acclaimed revivals in 1984 and 1992, Einstein on the Beach returns this fall as part of BAM’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

With no story, hero, or heroine, Einstein unfolds as a hypnotic tableau, inspired by the poetic idea of a genius and propelled by Glass' sublime score. A cosmic chorus of syllables, numbers, streams of consciousness, and enigmatic poems–punctuated by Lucinda Childs’ choreography–unfurls beneath Wilson’s spectacular set, enlivening this epic, seminal masterwork of 20th century performance.

Direction, set and lighting design Robert Wilson
Music and lyrics Philip Glass
Choreography Lucinda Childs
Spoken text Lucinda Childs, Samuel M. Johnson, Christopher Knowles
Conductor Michael Riesman
Co-Director Ann-Christin Rommen
Staging associate Charles Otte
Lights Urs Schönebaum
Sound design Kurt Munkacsi
Costumes Carlos Soto
Hair and make-up Luc Verschueren

With:
Helga Davis
Kate Moran
Einstein Jennifer Koh
Boy Jasper Newell
Mr. Johnson Charles Williams
The Lucinda Childs Dance Company
The Philip Glass Ensemble
Einstein on the Beach Choir

Produced by Pomegranate Arts, Inc. (Linda Brumbach, Executive Producer)

The 2012 production of Einstein on the Beach, An Opera in Four Acts was commissioned by: BAM; the Barbican, London; Cal Performances University of California, Berkeley; Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity; De Nederlandse Opera / The Amsterdam Music Theatre; Opéra et Orchestre National de Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon; University Musical Society of the University of Michigan.
Originally produced in 1976 by the Byrd Hoffman Foundation.