Robert Wilson, Lucinda Childs and Philip Glass talk about Einstein on the Beach (Toronto. 2012)

Robert Wilson, Lucinda Childs and Philip Glass talk about Einstein on the Beach. AGO. (By Gustavo Thomas. 2012)

Last Wednesday June 6th, 2012, at AGO (Toronto), the three gods of American Performing Arts talked about their creation of Einstein on the Beach, premiered in 1976. It was an amazing two hours discussion, not only because they talked about this mythic masterpiece of the performing arts but because they were there, alive, in front of us, 35 years later of the creation of it.

I got some interesting quotations (could not be entirely accurate, I wrote them while listening to them):

- Philip Glass: "Einstein of the Beach is unique because there was no, and there is no, other creation like this. There is no references, simple."

- Philip Glass and Robert Wilson: "We didn't know what kind of piece this was, but when it was performed in France, French critics called it "a contemporary Opera", and we thought it was right. It was an opera in the sense of opus, a work."

- Bob Wilson: "Form is boring, what's important is how you feel inside that form."

- Bob Wilson: "You don't have to get anything, just experimenting the piece."


- Bob Wilson: "Einstein on the Beach has a classic structure, but each of us created their own piece inside that structure."


- Bob Wilson: "All the actors, singers and dancers are dressed with the style of clothes Einstein used to wear. All of them are one part of Einstein."


- Bob Wilson: "I worked the stage direction and illumination designed with the three ways of seeing in painting: the hand (close up), the body and the landscape."

Robert Wilson, Lucinda Childs and Philip Glass talk about Einstein on the Beach. AGO. (By Gustavo Thomas. 2012)

Robert Wilson talks Einstein on the Beach. AGO. (By Gustavo Thomas. 2012)

Philip Glass talks about Einstein on the Beach. AGO. (By Gustavo Thomas. 2012)

Lucinda Childs talks about Einstein on the Beach. AGO. (By Gustavo Thomas. 2012)

Robert Wilson, Lucinda Childs and Philip Glass talk about Einstein on the Beach. AGO. (By Gustavo Thomas. 2012)

Texts, photographs and videos in this Blog are all author's property, except when marked. All rights reserved by Gustavo Thomas. If you have any interest in using any text, photograph or video from this Blog, for commercial use or not, please contact Gustavo Thomas at gustavothomastheatre@gmail.com.

Einstein on the Beach this week at 2012 Luminato Festival in Toronto

Einstein on the Beach (Photo by Lucie Jansch, from Luminato's site)

Yes, in an unique opportunity that I never thought I had in my life (of course I ignored the permanence of this production from the 70s) Einstein on the Beach, the Opera with music by Philip Glass and stage direction by Bob Wilson, comes to Toronto for some performances at 2012 Luminato Festival.

I'm writing this short post as an introduction to that which will come after listening, on Wednesday June 6, to Glass and Wilson in a discussion panel, and that after seeing the opera itself in its 4 hour-version.

As you can find much information on the internet about the Opera and its importance for the performing arts of the late twentieth century I won't talk more on the subject. But personally I'll do it a little bit:

I've always fantasized about this production and his music, specially since I first saw photographs of  Bob Wilson's direction and later listening to that amazing Philip Glass's music which has followed me throughout my artistic life.  Some of you remember my post about my pain and regret when I was living in Beijing and, because of a trip to London, I was unable to see Pina Bausch and her company in one of his last tours (who would imagine that she would die so soon?), in a performance that included her legendary Cabaret Berlin. I do not want to make the same mistake, Wilson and Glass will be here, together, talking about their creation and I'll be there to listening to them as well. What should I say about the performance? The tickets cost a fortune but I bought them and I'll be seated in the best possible place.

For now I leave you with the material from the festival site:

The Fusion of a Total Artwork: Einstein on the Beach (by Jorn Weisbrodt)

Video promo Luminato

Texts, photographs and videos in this Blog are all author's property, except when marked. All rights reserved by Gustavo Thomas. If you have any interest in using any text, photograph or video from this Blog, for commercial use or not, please contact Gustavo Thomas at gustavothomastheatre@gmail.com.