Customer Reviews

Glass: Einstein on the Beach

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a budget-priced reissue of the original CBS Records Masterworks release, which contains the original booklet with libretto and copious liner notes. The only differences are the cover artwork and price. Definitely a complete and utter steal! If you're at all curious about Einstein on the Beach, this is a must purchase.

4-CD set packaged in jewel case with slip cover.

This is a bizarre and relentless opera-as the surreal title implies, more dream than drama. Where the earlier recording had an abrasive edge, this new one is more refined, melding the different elements, electronic alongside acoustic, more subtly and persuasively than before. Even so, the first train episode, over 20 minutes long, remains mind-blowing in its relentlessness. The impact is heightened by the vividness of the recording, with spoken voices in particular given such presence that they startled me as if someone had burst into my room. The vision remains an odd one, but with a formidable group of vocalists and instrumentalists brilliantly directed, often from the keyboard, by Michael Riesman, the new recording certainly justifies itself.

This title I bought in 1979 as a 4 LP-album, right after its original release. It is one of the milestones of modern music. Hypnotic, repeated phrases ("faaa-faaa-faaa-faaa; do-re-mi-la-ti-do/do-re-mi-la-ti-do;one-two-three-four-five-six/one-two-three-four-five-six/one-two-three-four-five-six..."), interchanged by beautiful, romantic melodies with a dominant role for the violin. Not as accessible als Glass' later recordings, but phenomenal in its groundbreaking combination of minimal music with pompousness and sweet melodies. And now released as a 4 CD-box for only $ 16,-! A must have for this special price, including a 38-page booklet. This original version is much tighter played an sung than its 1993 re-release. Don't miss to give a listen to the first 5 minutes of this work: the phenomenal intro with its suppressed tension, pregnant of all what will follow. But listen especially to what I think is absolutely the CLIMAX of the piece: the exhausting a capella sung "Knee Play 3"; after this you can relax while listening at the outro, the romantic "Knee Play 5" (women's chorus, vilon & electric organ). Relaxation might be wise, beacause it might take a while to land back on earth!
Alwin Boon, Netherlands

What is wrong with you people? This is NOT a reissue of the famous Tomato/Sony Classical recording of the late 70s... this is a performance released in 1993 on Elektra Nonesuch featuring the performers from 'Einstein...'s 1992 world tour. The recording is longer and features professional performers in a spoken roles. The recording is also 30 minutes longer than the original, because of the additional space afforded by CDs. As to the performance, it is a bit less edgy than the original, the mix is murkier... I love the original recording, I like this one.

I think I first may have heard excerpts from this opera on a show like "The science show" on ABC Radio National. There were possibly two passages which got played. Can't say for sure that I know which ones they are, having now listened to the opera. On "The science show" I recall what sounded like vocals repeating the phrase "Boogedy boogedy boogedy" and another passage, from memory, featuring counting. That I didn't recognise those passages on this album suggests to me, perhaps, that "The science show" used a later recording of this opera. Might check that out later sometime. In any case, I chose to get the first recording of this opera, and this is it, I think. Conducted by Michael Riesman, according to the cd notes. Wikipedia mentions the later release having a longer playing time, due to improved capacity of new formats, like CD. My 4 cd collection here has running times of 44:31 minutes, 40:01, 42:11 and 38:15. Apparently the newer recording is
almost half an hour longer, and captures the entire opera. My cd is listed as a 2003 release of the original vinyl album.

The set has variations on themes and repetition of lyrics etc. If musical and lyrical repetition is not your cup of tea, this release may not be for you. Musically, you get hypnotic, incessant rhythms and soundscapes. Perhaps some touchstones for this kind of music may the scores of Peter Greenaway movies (by Michael Nyman) or John Carpenter's classic score to his slasher movie "Halloween". Even the Cocteau Twins' "Blue Bell Knoll" is brought to mind, at times. The sound on this release has warmth and - for me at least - the lyrics function as background noise, with their repetitiveness. There is an intimate quality to the sound here, especially the voices. Tracks with 'nonsense' lyrics may be preferable to those who are bugged by the boring lucid lyrics. I imagine one voice which features regularly on tracks here as being an African American woman. Another voice which gets heard at times is what I imagine to be an older white man. The African
American woman especially repeats phrases over more than one track. One aspect I like to this opera is that at times you get an effect I first heard in the classic "Murder mystery" by The Velvet Undergroud...namely, sensual, overlapping lyrics. Both voices are reading from a different page, so to speak.


The cds:


CD 1 -


Knee play 1 - ">(.)" On second listen I liked this track more. Runs 3:52. Has soothing organ notes, male and female choir counting numbers; then an intimate female voice in one ear, moving to the other ear, giving repetitive spoken words. Has a "Murder mystery" vibe to it in that respect (that Velvet Underground song I mentioned earlier) as well as Max Q's classic "Way of the world" (which featured INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence). Genteel tempo, with nice long notes by the choir...not sure if they are singing actual words or not. Choir sings some pretty melodies...not sure if it scales...a la "do re mi" etc.

Act 1: scene 1 - 17:19. Jaunty track, with 2 synth sounds...one in each ear. Two female voices...touch of Ita Buttrose to that (the lispy Australian media personality). Can't really say I made out the lyrics...some guesses for some phrases include: "upside down", "garbage face", "some say garbage" and "bye bye Stacey". Apologies if these guesses are somewhat wayward. Musically, you hear a woodwind sound...a recorder, perhaps? Sometimes you hear brass sounds...sax, perhaps.

Act 1: scene 2 - 23:19. Mellower piece. Two female voices singing "Me me me" (or something!). Woodwind type sound (recorder?). Later some robot like male voices reciting lines. A boy's voice is heard at the end. Before then you get some comments which sound a little gay. Maybe a xylophone features in this track too. I like the bit with the violin playing solo but later it sort of made me feel nauseous (!). Portentous choir.


CD 2 -


Knee play 2 - 6:49. Solo violin. A female voice in each ear...the same woman, but asynchronous. Each voice has a cyclical spoken word lyric...similar or identical to such lyrics as featured in the first cd. Similarity to "Murder mystery" in this way, but not as creepy as that Velvet Underground song, if you let its lyrics seep into you. Voices have an intimate quality. One voice reads what sounds like an advertisement!

Act 2: scene 1 - 13:39. Throbbing, heaving vocals and synthesiser. Woodwind/recorder type type instrument. Bassy synthesiser with a sort of disco rhythm (?)...or Space Invaders rhythm? Another track where I sort of felt like I could make out actual words...here goes..."rip their carpet", "rugby", "Rodney", "rumpy pumpy" (?!). Two female singers feature, but not ones previously heard, I don't think.

Act 2: scene 2 - 13:52. ">(.)". Likeable enough to consider adding to my list of the greatest American songs of all time...might be one to tack near the end of my list. Synthesiser, more singsong voices here. Male voice starts off with "baa baa" or something of the sort. Two female voices have a Blue Bell Knoll vibe to them...maybe they sing in Spanish too, at times. Obscure lyrics. Swirling synthesiser. Last few minutes are instrumental...has a digital phone ring sort of sound at one time. Another track where counting numbers features.

Knee play 3 - 5:38. From "(.)" to ".". Another track I think deserves a spot in my US songs list...higher up than the previous track, I think. This may the piece which is sampled by The Science Show...but on this version of the opera the sound is not as light and ethereal as the version I heard on the radio (albeit in glorious mono!). The counting bit here sort of sounded like Ita Buttrose saying "I want a sip"! Other parts here sounded like "wackity" and "wonderfully". Of course, this was all numbers being spoken...albeit at a very fast pace. Male and female voices sing a capella. Especially nice are the hymnal parts...again, the scales are perhaps brought to mind for me ("do re mi" etc.)...though maybe I am being confused here. Also lovely is is the depth in these hymnal parts...subtle registers playing off each other (if "registers" is the right musical term to use here).


CD 3 -


Act 3: scene 1 - 18:16. Initially organ type humming chords then dinky synthesiser notes. Choral counting numbers by male and female voices. A lone female voice utters repetitive lines in your left ear then migrates to the right hand side. Later you get a swirling synthesiser. Near the end there is intimate symphonic music and feint, sensual voice. Perhaps that feint voice delivers narratively important information as far as the opera goes (?).

Act 3: scene 2 - 17:10. The most rigid piece so far. Fiddles appear and a low end synthesiser. Male and female voices are heard in a choir. The female again seems to say "rugby". A more disturbing mondegreen is "rim me". Hmm! Just by the by, I looked up "mondegreen" on Wikipedia. and it mentioned a related term..."Soramimi". Some fun to be had reading that! Anyway, other mondegreens of mine on this track include "many" and "penny farthing".

Knee play 4 - 6:45. "[.]". Fiddle only, male choir (with low and high registers) singing scales, then alternating with prettyish "nasi goreng" (?!).

Just by the by, I fell asleep for parts of the 2nd and 3rd track on this cd (on my second listen to it, I think). Due to that, I relistened to the entire cd again and didn't find that a chore. So, this speaks well for the opera's replayability, I think. And it also speaks well for the music, perhaps. By that I mean if the music was truly a torture on the ears, then it would be hard to feel peaceful enough to fall asleep to the music, yeah?


CD 4 -


Act 4: scene 1 - 7:30. Electro style...sort of like a video game track, symphonic music (it features an instrument like an oboe, for instance...guessing here). Swirling sound at times, having morse code type bleeps (maybe like as if done by a mobile phone). Vocalisations? Short outro on keyboard has a sort of harpsichord sound to it. Track is sort of avant garde at times, with brass instruments.

Act 4: scene 2 - 11:48. ".". Pleasant, soothing organ notes...simple, and having a bit of a harpsichord sound to it. Low end throb on the synth. Ethereal female voice on the high end...she sounds sharp at times.

Act 4: scene 3 - 13:22. Brings to mind something like Michael Nyman's score for the film "A zed and two noughts"...so, could have been influenced by Glass on that front. Has that lively Nyman feel in any case. Keyboard plays notes on the high and low end. Choir with male and female voices counts. There is a sort of piano accordion sound to one of the instruments...might the real deal or the synth. A sax sound can be heard too. Music is 'wavey' at times. In the middle there is a passage with no vocals...violins feature and maybe the harpsichord.

Knee play 5 - 5:33. ">[.]". Soothing low end organ notes, with a female choir counting. The woman who sounds African American reappears, as does, later, the man who sounds like a white, middle aged person. You get a vocal collage here. Later it sounds like a children's choir is utilised. That part sounds nice, as does the fiddle playing. On the left hand side of the speakers, I think I noticed the African American woman misspeaking...she says "These are my days"...should be "These are the days". A track like this reminds me of the one Velvet Underground song I consider to be a classic..."Murder mystery". Would like this song more on that level without the middle aged white guy's part on this track. The female vocals sound pleasant, in any case...on the left hand side with the African American woman, and the counting choir too.


Recommendations:


Michael Nyman scores...I have his score to "The cook, the thief, his wife and her lover". That's pretty symphonic and choral too...not so avant garde though. Haven't checked out his score to "A zed and two noughts", though it is on my radar.

Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll. Ethereal female vocals and lively synth music...not sure, but I think that they may be singing Gaelic or Welsh...something like that...perhaps.

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground. Mainly for "Murder mystery", which is a great example of competing spoken voices...though I think that the rest of the album is excellent too.

Enya...I like her swirling, ethereal synth pop. E.g. songs like the classic "Caribbean blue", or "Orinoco flow".

this is a 4 disc collection u must have...
70's modernism contemporary compositor show us
the very practical and mathematic way to compose
armonies with both elements of sounds and silence

In this opera Philip Glass pushes the two heritages he is using and referring to to an extreme that leads his music beyond classification, hence projects it into pure creativity. He uses the Ravel's Bolero genre or form so far and so amplified that we reach a totally hypnotic state. With very few notes, with extremely reduced musical phrases, with very few syllables and very short texts he builds many pieces that are rotating and spinning around repetitive nodal points in such an intricate manner that we just dive into them and enjoy the flow and flux, the ebb and reflux of the music. The second heritage is that of amplified music, is that of black rhythmic multiplicity. But instead of two rhythmic lines like in jazz or vodun, he plays on a lot more that are superimposed, intertwined or even crisscrossed or merged into an ever changing continuity, the many-faceted and eddied running water of a mountain brook or a major river when it is at its highest level. There too we have to keep still and quiet and silent in our nutshell of a boat and let it go down the current without any resistance or attempt at diverting it. We are at the mercy of these rhythmic lines that are emphasized and multiplied and amplified by the harmony of the notes behind into some rhythmic harmony. An absolute miracle. An absolute wonder. An absolute transfiguration. The joining of these two traditions and their development produces a music that reflects our modern world which is made of a constant and accelerating flow of sounds, information, communication, noise, messages. It is the world of absolute post-modernism where nothing is stable except in its very instability, nothing is permanent except in its very impermanence. There is no more perspective and depth. Movement is our very perambulating nature proceeding through a world of sounds that wraps us up in a blanket of warm wool that is homogeneous in texture and ever varied ever varying in its many threads and woven yarns. And that is the meaning of the title. Einstein opened the door to this world with his theory of relativity that ushered us into both the cosmos and modern physics. The beach is that vast expanse of infinite small grains of sand, each one being different from all the others and yet all of them being just of one essence. Glass reaches the relativity of the cosmos and the uniformity of the essence of sand, or if your prefer the relativity of sand grains on a beach and the uniformity of cosmic emptiness.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines