Dresdner Musikfestspiele: Classics of minimal music with Suzanne Vega — Philip Glass: “Einstein on the beach”

About the Event

Half a century after its premiere in Avignon in 1976, Philip Glass's “Einstein on the Beach” enjoys cult status and was recently described by the Los Angeles Times as “the most important opera of the last 50 years.” The work turns the genre completely upside down and leaves even Wagner's powerful idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk behind: there is no continuous plot, but rather seemingly timeless and spaceless sound structures with mysterious text fragments. These are performed by American singer Suzanne Vega, who became world famous with her songs “Tom's Diner” and “Luka.” The orchestra and choir are the ICTUS Ensemble from Brussels and the legendary Collegium Vocale Gent, founded in 1970 by Philippe Herreweghe. The performance concept focuses on the composition with its minimalist‐complex structures and at the same time highlights the extraordinary spatial structure of the Festspielhaus.