" I began with this photo of Einstein in his study at Princeton. I looked at many photos of Einstein. Photos of him when he was two years old, 20 years old, 40, 60, 70 years old. In all standing portraits of him, he held h... more »is hand in the same position as in the photo. The little space between his thumb and the next finger is always the same. I started the opera with this gesture. And continued. (Robert Wilson)
I don t care about music theory, I m only interested in listening to music. I begin by listening. Like images emerging from the mist and becoming visible. (Philip Glass)
It was the time of pop art and minimalism, often one set against the other. Pop art is a proclamation of the end of the world. The minimal movement is a new beginning. (Lucinda Childs)Press Reviews
"At the Théâtre du Châtelet, the opera first performed in 1976 by Bob Wilson and Philip Glass causes the same emotion as when it was first created. A true work of art of about four and a half hours where the visual is inseparable from the musical score. There are several ways to approach the revival thirty-seven years later: One can be nostalgic about what was progressive in one's youth and since became a classic; with the jaded look of the 2014 listener who heard dozens of works by Glass and Wilson since and seen so many shows and whom nothing can surprise. Or one can disregard all memory layers and open one's eyes filled with wonder as if it were the first time: Which is what happened! ... And most striking is that, compared to many pioneers of the past who now seem quite insipid as times went on, their creation has kept its surprises." (Le Figaro)
"On the evening of Tuesday, January 7, time flew and space became infinite. It was the opening night of Einstein on the Beach, the opera by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson, and after curtain down, at about 11 o clock, you could see in front of the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, people who had the look of brightness of a hypnotic journey. They came out of the performance, but is that the right word when it comes to this sensory experience? Not sure, and whatever. What matters is what happened: During more than four hours in an auditorium where everyone was invited to come and go at will, and where, however, almost no one left. Not because the audience did not want to disturb their neighbours; because they just did not want to leave, not even for a short time, and take their attention away from what they saw and heard. " (Le Monde)Cast
