Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1993 Recording) | Richard Peck, Gregory Purnhagen, ...

Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1993 Recording) | Richard Peck, Gregory Purnhagen, ... | Meeting a middle aged friend for lunch

classical music:

Glass: Einstein on...

	Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1993 Recording) Richard Peck, Gregory Purnhagen, ... Nonesuch, 1993 average customer review:based on 29 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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

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Hard to fault

Before this, I'd only really heard Glass's solo piano music. Where I found his repetitive figures unmoving in that context, here - fleshed out with vocals and synths - they become something else, something hypnotic, beguiling and quite beautiful. Even over 3 hours, it is hard to tire of the gradually shifting rhythms, which move at break-neck speed.

It is hard to grasp the effect the music has by listening to the samples above, and you shouldn't think, 'well, this is fine - but for 3 hours?!' - as it is much more than the sum of its parts. That effect is akin to a visual illusion on an epic scale. Only musical, if you will.

This edition is hard to fault: it's very well recorded, despite the set being 14 years old and it's all very attractively packaged. The booklet is thorough, although I would have liked to see some colour photos from the performance, not just the badly reproduced black & white ones we are provided with. That aside, well worth the money.

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Meeting a middle aged friend for lunch

I own this version as well as the original version. I respect both of them. I owned it on vinyl in the seventies and found it to be an exciting discovery. On CD, I bought the Nonesuch version first. It was nice to be reunited with an old friend. A middle aged old friend. The Nonesuch version version has much richer tonality than the original recording. Do I go to Einstein on the Beach for rich tonality? No, I go to it for edgy relentlessness. Although the Nonesuch version is longer, it is much less relentless. It's pacing is more leisurely. It seems to be striving for stateliness, to be seen as a classic, which it now is. I later bought the original recording on CD and was reunited with a friend who hasn't changed, It is still an exciting discovery. I prefer the flat tone of the vocals on the original as well. The later version sounds more practiced to be sure, but with that practice came a desire to emote and vary tone. To "act". It's guilding the lily. Nevertheless, I like both versions and play both from time to time. This opera is a true classic. and much better than it's schmaltzy followups in the trilogy.

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Minimalism at its most ambitious

This work is the last of the strictly minimalistic compositions by Philip Glass and in my opinion his best. The re-recording successfully addresses some issues the first version had, and at the same time creates new. The overall sound is a bit darker and more romantic, which makes it easier to listen to, while not sacrificing the minimalist feel. Aside from production, the choir is at another level compared to the other recording. The incredibly fast ending (Spaceship) is unlike anything minimalism has produced, intense and powerful. Some argue that this version is dull - no, it just makes some passages emotionally colored, be it romantic or theatrical. But, there are some drawbacks. The beginning of the Trial had a wonderful interplay between Johnson, whose replacement doesn't have such a commanding voice, and Mann, which is cast out. Also, the spoken text is at places done in a strange jester-like way, which only distracts the listener. The biggest disappointment for me is the change in Building-Train. The original was done in a very fast tempo and with incredible minimalist improvisation on saxophone. Now we have what Glass calls "a very lyrical, bluesy solo", which not only does not fit in the work, but is also not very interesting. Do not let these details divert you from buying; this stunning opera is one of the most important works of the 20th century music and this recording is, overall, top-notch.

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"...it could be very fresh and clean."

Einstein On The Beach was first performed in 1976 and the first recording was released in 1979. This version of Einstein was release in 1993. To date, these existing reviews span a period of 8 years - which to me, is a testament to the significance of this masterwork.

And in the same spirit as another reviewer, I too must confess that I prefer the original recording over this revised, modified and re-recorded version. I will say that this version is not at all "bad" - it is excellent. But to me the heart of the music lies with the original recording. I can understand the desire to release a "newer" version of this recording, but unfortunately in it's more polished form, it has lost a great deal of charm and, as has been mentioned, humor. Oddly the readings in this new recording sound very affected and almost pretentious. The music here - played with a digital perfection, has a sense of more mechanicality and a less human feel than the previous release (CBS Masterworks). Between the two versions, I think there are about 20 additional minutes on this re-recording than the earlier one, but for my taste this does not really add anything of startling consequence to the piece overall.

It is said that all music is mathemetics. And since we all know about Einstein's love for the violin, it was an incredible intelligent idea to merge the two into a singular revolutionary operatic concept. As the reader is aware: it is now generally recognized that EOTB one of the most significant contributions to late 20th century music and performance, and simultaneously re-defined the potential of opera.

So why buy this edition over the other? Honestly, I can't give you one solid reason. Both have positives and negatives. Get both. But listen to the earlier one first!

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