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- Date Released: January 1, 1979
- Genre: Classical
- Label: Sony Classical
- Copyright: (P) 1979 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
One of the true revolutionary moments in music history
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We Say...
One of the true revolutionary moments in music history, the 1976 debut of Einstein sent shock waves through the worlds of classical music, and eventually rock music, and forced a complete re-thinking of what the word "opera" might mean. EOTB consisted of a dreamlike sequence of tableaux by avant-garde director Robert Wilson, often accompanied by a headlong rush of winds, keyboards and vocals from the Philip Glass Ensemble. The tension between the slow movements on stage and the energy of the music made the full experience something akin to a trance state, or a hallucination. The recording, which of course is the music only, can still hint at the overall experience because of two unusual features: one is the series of short connecting musical joints, the so-called "Knee Plays," between the larger Acts. With the singers using do-re-mi syllables and counting the rhythms of the music, the "Knee Plays" might just be the most transparent pieces of music ever written. The other feature is a series of texts, again almost hallucinatory in nature, and many written by an autistic young man who was living at the time with Robert Wilson, which may not make "sense" but which portrays obsession just as effectively as Glass's landmark score.
While EOTB is almost about not having a story, the piece does hold together, and in fact concludes with a simple and touching story set to the fifth and final Knee Play. Fans of the original and long-out-of-print recording on the Tomato label will perhaps miss the slightly abridged version, but the full Knee Play V is still a startlingly touching and transformative moment in contemporary music. Other excerpts that have occasionally been played on their own include "Train" and "Dance (Field With Spaceship)." These two and some of the Knee Plays would make a fine introduction to this landmark work. -
They Say...
This opera, composed in 1975 and premiered in 1976, is scored for four principal actors, 12 singers doubling as dancers and actors, a solo violinist, and an amplified ensemble of keyboards, winds and voices. It is imbued with the postmodern spirit both in its non-linear, poetic, mystic narrative and the floating, eternal world created by the shifting, mathematically precise patterns of Philip Glass' modal music. There are three primary visual sets linked to three musical themes that recur within the work: trains (recalling the metaphors Einstein used to illustrate the theory of relativity, and with which he played as a child), a trial setting (modern life and modern science examined), and a spaceship (a metaphor for transcendence, and/or an escape from nuclear disaster). Also, Einstein himself appears midway between the orchestra and the stage as a violinist (his hobby) and as observer/witness. There are also additional spoken texts written by Christopher Knowles, Samuel M. Johnson and Lucinda Childs, which appear in various arrangements for single and multiple voices. This work locates itself as a midpoint between the composer's early-'70s work, linking rhythmic and harmonic structures and his later series of operas and vocal works and film scores employing expanded narrative and/or timbral experiments.
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03 Total Tracks, 44:32 Total Length
This album includes one or more tracks available only with a full album download.
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Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
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We'll give you 48 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
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07 Total Tracks, 40:02 Total Length
This album includes one or more tracks available only with a full album download.
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 48 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
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10 Total Tracks, 42:11 Total Length
This album includes one or more tracks available only with a full album download.
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 48 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
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14 Total Tracks, 38:12 Total Length
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Credits
- Philip Glass - Keyboards // Philip Glass - Keyboards // Philip Glass - Keyboards // Philip Glass - Keyboards // Philip Glass - Keyboards // Philip Glass - Keyboards // Philip Glass - Keyboards // Philip Glass - Orchestra // Philip Glass - Orchestra // Philip Glass - Orchestra // Philip Glass - Orchestra // Philip Glass - Orchestra // Philip Glass - Orchestra // Philip Glass - Orchestra // Philip Glass - Lyricist // Philip Glass - Lyricist // Philip Glass - Lyricist // Philip Glass - Lyricist // Philip Glass - Lyricist // Philip Glass - Lyricist // Philip Glass - Lyricist // Philip Glass - Producer // Philip Glass - Producer // Philip Glass - Producer // Philip Glass - Producer // Philip Glass - Producer // Philip Glass - Producer // Philip Glass - Producer // Philip Glass - Main Performer // Philip Glass - Main Performer // Philip Glass - Main Performer // Philip Glass - Main Performer // Philip Glass - Main Performer // Philip Glass - Main Performer // Philip Glass - Main Performer // Jon Gibson - Flute // Jon Gibson - Glockenspiel // Jon Gibson - Saxophone // Jon Gibson - Sax (Soprano) // David Anchel - Vocals // George Andoniadis - Vocals // Sean Barker - Vocals // Marion Beckenstein - Soprano (Vocal) // Connie Beckley - Vocals // Ritty Ann Burchfield - Vocals // Bruce Burroughs - Vocals // Lucinda Childs - Voices // Frank Conversano - Vocals // Gregory Dolbashian - Voices // Michele A. Eaton - Soprano (Vocal) // Gregory Fulkerson - Violin // Katie Geissinger - Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal) // Martin Goldray - Keyboards // Margo Gerzairlian Grib - Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal) // Elsa Higby - Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal) // Iris Hiskey - Vocals // Grethe Holby - Vocals // Jeannie Hutchins - Vocals // Marc Jacobi - Vocals // Jeffrey Johnson - Tenor (Vocal) // Jeff Kensmoe - Baritone (Vocal) // John Kock - Tenor (Vocal) // Eric W. Lamp - Tenor (Vocal) // Dickie Landry - Flute // Dickie Landry - Saxophone // Jasper McGruder - Voices // Richard Morrison - Vocals // Kurt Munkasci - Producer // Kristin Norderval - Soprano (Vocal) // Dora Ohrenstein - Vocals // Richard Peck - Flute // Richard Peck - Saxophone // Richard Peck - Sax (Alto) // Richard Peck - Sax (Tenor) // Gregory Purnhagen - Baritone (Vocal) // Dana Reitz - Vocals // Marie Rice - Vocals // Michael Riesman - Conductor // Michael Riesman - Director // Michael Riesman - Keyboards // Michael Riesman - Producer // Ronald Roxbury - Vocals // Patricia Schuman - Soprano (Vocal) // Philip Smith - Vocals // Andrew Sterman - Flute // Andrew Sterman - Clarinet (Bass) // Andrew Sterman - Piccolo // Peter Stewart - Baritone (Vocal) // Sheryl Sutton - Voices // Lisa Vielawa - Soprano (Vocal) // Forest Warren - Vocals // David Woodberry - Vocals // Paul Zukofsky - Violin // Philip Glass Ensemble - Ensemble // Robert Wilson - Director // Robert Wilson - Design
-
Composers
Robert Wilson // Philip Glass -
Performers
Philip Glass played Organ // Paul Zukofsky played Violin // Philip Glass Ensemble // Richard Landry played Flute // Iris Hiskey // Michael Reisman // Sheryl Sutton // David Anchel played Bass (Vocal) // Sean Barker played Bass (Vocal) // Marc Jacoby played Tenor (Vocal) // Lucinda Childs // Philip Gavin Smith played Tenor (Vocal) -
Other Details
- Instruments:
- Organ //
- Flute //
- Violin //
- Bass (Vocal) //
- Tenor (Vocal)
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