Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1993 Recording) [Box set]

Gregory Purnhagen (Performer, Composer), Jeff Kensmoe (Performer), Peter Stewart (Performer), Philip Glass (Composer, Conductor), Michael Riesman (Conductor), Robert Wilson (Conductor), Elsa Higby (Performer), Katie Geissinger (Performer), Margo Gezairlian Grib (Performer), Philip Glass Ensemble (Orchestra), Kristin Norderval (Performer), Lisa Bielawa (Performer), Marion Beckenstein (Performer), Michele A. Eaton (Performer), Patricia Schuman (Performer), Eric W. Lamp (Performer), John Koch (Performer), Robert Wilson (Artist), Michael Riesman (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Gregory Purnhagen, Jeff Kensmoe, Peter Stewart, Elsa Higby, Katie Geissinger, et al.
• Orchestra: Philip Glass Ensemble
• Conductor: Philip Glass, Michael Riesman, Robert Wilson
• Composer: Gregory Purnhagen, Philip Glass
• Audio CD (September 28, 1993)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B000005J28
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #66,035 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

  #73 in	Music > Opera & Vocal > Languages > English
  #22 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( G ) > Glass, Philip
  #7 in	Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Glass, Philip

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Although Einstein on the Beach is by definition an opera, Philip Glass's most famous work also transcends traditional music categories. Glass avoided all vestiges of plot in the piece and dug deep into his quiver of repetitions to create an artfully unnerving five hours of brilliance. The instrumental ensemble never exceeds five members, playing electric keyboards, saxophones, flutes, and a single violin. Furthermore, the music congregates around the upper registers, often darting through its loops at seemingly incredible paces. The chorus bears huge chops, creating a dense, if silkenly staccato, series of juts, and a powerful array of higher-register annunciations that ring with the aural power of leaping, blurring filaments. This 1993 version of Einstein truly supersedes its predecessors, stretching to around 190 minutes over three CDs. There is a strong current of postmodern collage throughout the piece, with rafts of pop culture references. But Einstein, after all, is indeed based loosely on Albert Einstein and ends with booming allusions to nuclear annihilation and mathematics. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One, Two, Three . . ., July 10, 2000

By	Richard Morgan (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1993 Recording) (Audio CD)

Einstein on the Beach is hardcore Philip Glass with its frenzied (and repetitive) pace, nonsensical poems, and exhaustive length. While this opera helped propel his fame, I would not recommend diving into it if you are looking for an introduction to what Philip Glass writes. Personally, I discovered and grew to love this music through the compilation CD, Songs from the Trilogy. It is cheaper than any recording of these three operas and lets you hear the best of what they have to offer. Of the three, I think Einstein on the Beach is the most difficult to appreciate and even after purchasing, it sat on my shelf. Yet, over time, I begin to hear more than the "One, two, three" and violins sawing away: there's a delicate sound beneath it all. Akhnaten and Satyagraha have this quality as well, but it's easier to hear at first listening. So if you're a casual Philip Glass listener, be prepared to not like Einstein at first because it is so much different than his more recent releases.

For die-hard Glass fans, this recording is the longer (and cheaper) of the two available. If you enjoy his Music in Twelve Parts and other earlier works, this opera is a real treat. Since Einstein is such a monumental piece in the Glass library, it's a must buy. But if you're looking for something less hardcore, try Songs from the Trilogy. I gave five stars because when compared to other music, it's still awe-inspiring, but when compared to other Philip Glass music, especially the other two operas, it rates three stars.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the superior Einstein recording, April 2, 2002

By	new music guy (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1993 Recording) (Audio CD)

Presumably, if you're reading this, you're shopping for one of the two Einstein on the Beach recordings and trying to pick between the two. This is a VASTLY superior disc. The improvement in synthesizer capabilities in the decades between the earlier recording and this one are notable from the beginning of Disc 1, Track 1. The organs here as a result have a warmer, fuller sound. Recording technology also improved, and the overall result is better tone, better clarity. Fulkerson's violin playing is more soulful than Zukovsky's, and his huge sound is far more appropriate in much of the passagework. There is far greater accuracy and superior tone and clarity throughout in the other instruments as well, in particular the piccolos, and the choir here is simply better. Finally, the price tag is somewhat less discouraging.

If you like Einstein on the Beach, absolutely get this recording. If you are curious about Philip Glass and want a representative sample of his best music, absolutely get this recording.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars unironic, inferior to original recording, March 1, 2006

By	M. A. Harrison - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1993 Recording) (Audio CD)

Einstein on the Beach is one of the great works of music/theatre (as opposed to opera, or even traditional "musical theatre") of the 20th century, but the rerecording suffers from the bloated, cheap pretentiousness that characterizes almost all of Philip Glass's later work. Dilettantes criticize the original for the "artificial" timbre of the synthesizers, ignorant of the idea that the sound of the synthesizers are part of the piece as a historical text, or that the grating sound of the original recording actually emphasizes the formal qualities of Glass's minimalism. Utterly lacking in the irony and wit that made the first not only fascinating, but a pleasure to listen to, the rerecording is just dull.