ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
PHILIPPE HERREWEGHE
Einstein on the Beach
Suzanne Vega narrator
Germaine Kruip visuals
Maarten Beirens dramaturgy
Collegium Vocale Gent
Ictus Ensemble
Maria van Nieukerken choir master
Georges-Elie Octors & Tom De Cock conductor
Iconic, groundbreaking and controversial are just a few terms used to describe the cult opera Einstein on the Beach. Although composer Philip Glass and director Robert Wilson called this key 20th century work an opera, none of its elements are in any way reminiscent of the traditional genre. Einstein lasts for four hours, performed without intervals. It has no plot. There are no sung roles. And its ‘orchestra’ consists of synthesisers, woodwinds, a soprano and a choir. Entirely in the spirit of title character Albert Einstein, the choir only sings numbers and note names. And that is also the key to this enigmatic composition: its makers toy with symbols and formulas that touch upon the core of existence. An impressive cast, featuring pop singer Suzanne Vega, Dutch artist Germaine Kruip, Collegium Vocale Gent and Ictus, decipher this unforgettable work!
Press quotes:
“Something magical happened in Rotterdam […] Sublime experience ” (Theaterkrant, The Netherlands)
“At 8 o’clock sharp, almost unexpectedly, the numerical melopea that opens the opera began. From there everything happened as in one breath.” (El País, SPAIN )
“The radical and pure version of extraordinary Ictus Ensemble, Collegium Vocale Gent and Suzanne Vega led us to a deep concentration that enabled this new state of consciousness, what the Sanskrit called Dharana. ” (El Punt Avui, BARCELONA)