"Einstein On The Beach" (1976) is an opera, in four acts, scored by Philip Glass and directed by Robert Wilson. Not only is it Glass' first and lengthiest opera, but it also became the first of a three-part trilogy of operas. When first brainstorming the opera, Glass and Wilson wanted to base it around an icon portrayed "purely as a historical figure and not with any storyline attached to his image." (wikipedia.org). After much quarrel and disagreement, they settled on Albert Einstein.
Following the non-traditional trends of music of it's time, "Einstein" is a very unconventional opera. Aside from it lasting over five hours without a single intermission, the opera does not really contain a particular storyline. Glass and Wilson intentionally planned on the work having no central plot, which coincides with their choice of Einstein.
Each act of the opera is divided by what Glass labels a "Knee Play" - a short interlude that allowed for scenery changes. These "Knee Play" pieces are very eclectic works which not only include spoken numbers and solfege syllables, but also include lyrics taken from poems by Christopher Knowles - "a young, neurologically-impaired man with whom (Robert) Wilson had worked as an instructor of disturbed children for the New York public schools." (glasspages.org) The syllables, numbers, and speech help to move the piece along, all the while avoiding any central story line.
Throughout the next several posts, I will introduce you to one Knee Play in particular - Knee Play 1 - as well as analyze it's context and development, and discuss the aspects of the performance itself.
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