glass notes
Philip Glass Looks Back at “Einstein on the Beach”

Blouin ArtInfo Reports:

"The work continues to echo throughout the world of opera and theater.

“I think someone was going to write the ‘Einstein’ at the time. It happened to be us,” Glass said. “I sat down and heard the opera about two years ago. I was impressed. What I was impressed with, I said, ‘Who was that guy? What the hell was I thinking?’”

He was thinking ahead of his fellow composers. The repetitive quality often associated with the work seemed alien to most music lovers of the ’70s. But today, its influence can be heard as pale imitations in everything from movie soundtracks to car commercials.

“Some of those pale imitations are by me, by the way,” quipped Glass. “They can do what I did, but they can’t do what I haven’t done yet.”"

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'Einstein' next goes to Berlin in February which may be the end of the road for this production after 2 years and many of the world's cultural capitals. Glass' last statement is poignant; I suppose it's the reason we are all fans of his work.

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