#einstein on the beach

[facts-i-just-made-up]

Facts about musicals? Specifically the longer ones

The longest musical ever written was Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday on the Beach With Einstein" which he wrote with Philip Glass. The two did not get along on the production, with Sondheim wanting lyrics that made sense and stories about the nature of art and entertainment, and Glass wanting random screams and a man walking across the stage pushing a ball made of snot for seven hours.

In the end, they compromised and the play ended up at 23 hours and no intermissions, with several almost-comprehensible scenes and well over three musical notes. Theater critic Jen Grimley called it "The most insufferable tripe ever performed, full of aggravating idiocy, misery, self indulgent filth and pain. A true 10/10 masterpiece."

[agoodsongeveryday]

Day One Thousand and Eighty

There was a judge who like puts in a court. And the judge have like what an able jail what it could be a spanking. Or a whack. Or a smack. Or a swat. Or a hit. This could be where of judges and courts and jails. And who was it. This will be doing the facts of David Cassidy of were in this case of feelings. That could make you happy. That could make you sad. That could make you mad. Or that could make you jealous. So do you know what jail is?

[sphoricus]

I’m on my second listen of Einstein on the Beach this week there must be something terribly wrong with me

[el-rombo]

(Whipering) "Hello, I'm Philip Glass, and welcome to my ASMR video."

(Einstein on the Beach - Prologue begins playing)

[franziskas-record-store]

“Waloyo Yamoni” might be the best closer ever, or at least it trumps everything in my top ten. It’s simply beautiful in every way, and it has such an explosive energy. Christopher Tin really outdid himself with it.

The only track I can think of that may come close to beating it is “Knee 5,” another incredibly beautiful and climactic peice. Both have moved me to tears. Both are fitting ends to the works they accompany. But “Waloyo Yamoni” is just so good.

[phantomfingers]

[mrmackquack]

I just wish I was in this prematurely air-conditioned super market

and there were all these aisles

and there were all these bathing caps that you could buy

which had these kind of Fourth of July plumes on them

they were red and yellow and blue

I wasn't tempted to buy one

but I was reminded of the fact that I had been avoiding

the beach.

[xiiirouge]

on repeat, that what’s like intrusive thoughts <3

[man-n-space]

@javachef828: No one:

@javachef828: Phillip Glass: "Here's whatcha gonna do; you go get into that Einstein costume, get out there with your viola, and play through as many diatonic scales as quickly as you can before the toy rocket ship reaches the edge of the stage and curtain rises, revealing a full band and NASA on risers, a robot woman with a spyglass, an emotionally confused boy stuck in an elevator, a person swimming in a box, a clown with airplane landing lights, the world's unhappiest alto sax player, and adult Peter Pan, after which two lesbians open a clear egg and enter the kingdom of heaven with looks of awe

@matthewhaywood3115: Everyone: "and where is this happening?"

@matthewhaywood3115: Philip Glass: "on a beach"

@matthewhaywood3115: Everyone: "oh, so there'll be sand and Water?"

@matthewhaywood3115: Philip Glass: ".....no"

@MarimbaPlayr: Sums it up perfectly

@joyusachoobarb: yeah except it is Robert Wilson saying that not Phillip Glass

[visualpoett]

Ten years ago this month I went and saw this wonderfully trippy opera Einstein on the Beach at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Still think about it from time to time.

[teledyn]

No worries, I'll just watch this and then get to bed. Promise.

Einstein on the Beach, 2014, Philip Glass

See also Philip Glass classmate buddy's Einstein on the Fritz

[suchpostsveryblogwow]

[nonesuchrecords]

Composer/pianist Timo Andres is on The Next Track podcast to talk about a number of contemporary classical pieces, including those on his own Nonesuch albums Home Stretch and Shy and Mighty, Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, Morton Feldman’s Piano and String Quartet, Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach, Terry Riley’s In C, and works by Cage, Messiaen, Pärt, Rzewski, Takemitsu, and Sufjan Stevens. You can hear it here.

[helgaolgaroemer]

Regatt Olga Roemer by OLGA ROEMER a/k/a/ HELGA ROEMER

[ulrichgebert]

Aber Zeit ist ja relativ, wissen wir seit Einstein. Er sitzt gelegentlich am Strand und spielt die Geige, während auf Feldern mit Raumschiffen getanzt wird, der Zug, mit dem er seine Theorie erklärt langsam über die Bühne rollt oder Gerichtsverhandlungen oder irgendwas in einem Gebäude stattfindet und andere Bilder, die Philip Glass und Robert Wilson in den Sinn kommen, wenn sie an ihn denken. Durch den kompletten Verzicht auf eine Handlung und letztlich auch auf Opernsänger (der Chor macht die meiste Arbeit. Obwohl ziemlich gegen Ende* gibt es eine sehr schöne Sopranarie.) und die Besetzung mit bloß 6 Instrumentalisten, von denen einer auch die Titelrolle spielt, muss ihr avantgardististisches minimalisitisches Großkunstwerk Einstein on the Beach als außerordentlich untypisches Beispiel für eine Oper in 4 Akten gewertet werden. Sie ist sogar noch länger als Love Exposure. Die Zuschauer wurden ermutigt, zwischendurch ruhig mal rauszugehen, weil man davon ausgehen kann, daß wenn man wieder kommt, auch nichts wesentlich anderes los ist (Das  stimmt natürlich nicht, Philip Glass sagt, er versteht gar nicht, warum Leute seine Musik für Endlosschleifen halten, es passiere immer was.) Also gut, es ist immer was los, aber halt recht langsam. Man ist etwas fassungslos, hat aber das Gefühl, man sollte das schon mal erlebt haben. Ich war allerdings doch ganz froh, daß ich das jetzt im Wohnzimmer machen konnte, und nicht im Opernhaus. Am Schönsten ist “Night Train”.

          *d.h. nur noch eine Stunde oder so