Philipp Glass’s 87th Birthday

Einstein on the Beach is an opera by minimalist composer Philipp Glass, director Robert Wilson, and choreographer Lucinda Childs. The work premiered in 1976 at the Avignon Festival in France. It is the composer’s first and longest opera, lasting approximately 4.5 hours. The work’s title appears to refer to Nevil Shute’s novel ‘On the Beach’ (1957), taking place in a world that is destroyed after an atomic war. Breaking the rules of conventional opera, Einstein on the Beach has neither a narrative nor named characters. The work’s libretto consists of solfège syllables, numbers, and sections of poetry. It includes texts by Christopher Knowles, Samuel M. Johnson and Childs. The opera is in four acts, connected by so-called “Knee Plays” – interludes between acts. It contains several references to Einstein’s theories on time, space, and relativity, for instance the appearance of trains, which Einstein used as a metaphor in his theory of relativity. The music is performed by The Philipp Glass Ensemble conducted by Michael Riesman, and features Antoine Silverman as the solo violinist. Among the performers are Helga Davis, Kate Moran, Jasper Newell, and Charles Williams. The opera features dancers of The Lucinda Childs Dance Company. This performance was recorded at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France, in 2014.

The 2019 documentary ‘Approaching the Maelström’ follows the process leading up to a recording of American composer Philip Glass’s composition ‘A Descent into the Maelström’. The work is based on American writer Edgar Allan Poe’s 1841 short story of two fishermen caught in torrents raging between the mountainous islands of Lofoten, Norway. Glass’s work, originally a choral piece for the Australian Dance Theatre, was only ever performed at the Adelaide Festival of Arts in 1986. Over thirty years later, in 2019, Beacon Isle Films recorded a symphonic arrangement of Glass’s work, performed by the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir conducted by Tim Weiss with soprano Berit Norbakken Solset as the soloist. Their recording was made against the backdrop of Lofoten’s spectacular landscape: the very surroundings that inspired Poe’s story. Moreover, this inspiring documentary features a rare interview with Glass.

‘A Descent into the Maelström’ (1841) is American writer Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of two fishermen caught in torrents raging between the mountainous islands of Lofoten, inside the Arctic Circle of northern Norway. After a treacherous whirlpool drags their boat down, only one of them survives. American composer Philipp Glass based his choral work for the Australian Dance Theatre on this story. The piece was performed at the Adelaide Festival of Arts in 1986. Beacon Isle Films recorded an arrangement of Glass’s work for symphony orchestra, performed by the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir conducted by Tim Weiss. Soprano Berit Norbakken Solset is the soloist. The Artic Philharmonic Orchestra is the world's youngest and northernmost professional orchestral institution, presenting circa 150 performances and concerts each year. This 2019 recording was made against the backdrop of Lofoten’s spectacular landscape: the very surroundings that inspired Poe’s story.