Half a century after its premiere in Avignon in 1976, “Einstein on the Beach” by Philip Glass enjoys cult status and was recently described by the Los Angeles Times as the “most important opera of the last 50 years”. The work completely turns the genre on its head and leaves even Wagner's powerful idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk behind: there is no continuous plot, but seemingly spaceless and timeless sound formations with mysterious text fragments. These are performed by the American singer Suzanne Vega, who became world-famous with her songs “Tom's Diner” and “Luka”. The orchestra and choir will be the ICTUS Ensemble from Brussels and the legendary Collegium Vocale Gent, founded by Philippe Herreweghe in 1970. The performance concept focuses on the composition with its minimalist, complex structures and at the same time places the extraordinary spatial structure of the Festspielhaus at centre stage.

More about the program of the Dresden Music Festival

To the website

Cast & Credits

NarratorSuzanne Vega
ConductorTom de Cock
Sound DirectionAlexandre Fostier
Orchestra & ChoirCollegium Vocale Gent, ICTUS

Philip Glass “Einstein on the Beach”. Opera in four acts

A co-operation with the Dresdner Musikfestspiele