Einstein on the Beach by Glass, Noiztik (2012/2012), Teatro Municipale Valli, Reggio Emilia, Italy

The 2012 production of Einstein on the beach, an opera in 4 acts, was commissioned by: BAM; the Barbican, London; Cal Performances University of California, Berkeley; Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity; De Nederlandse Opera / The Amsterdam Music Theater; Opéra et Orchester National de Montpellier Languedoc-Rousillon; University Musical Society of the University of Michigan. Production Pomegranate Arts, Inc. in association with Change Performing Arts Exclusively for Italy Generally recognized as one of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century, this under-represented opera marked the international success of director Robert Wilson and composer Philip Glass when it was first staged in France at the Avignon Festival in 1976. and later brought to Europe and to the Metropolitan in New York. It is still counted among their most significant productions. Today, almost forty years after its debut and about twenty years after its last staging, " Einstein on the beach " is being resumed to allow a new audience and new generations to attend a show that represented a profound break with the previous tradition. Einstein on the beach breaks with all the rules of conventional opera. Instead of a traditional orchestral arrangement, Glass chose to compose the score for synthesizers, woods and voices of the Philip Glass Ensemble. In a non-narrative form, a series of powerful recurring images are used that perform the function of the main canvas, in juxtaposition with some sequences of an abstract dance conceived by the American choreographer Lucinda Childs. The work is divided into four acts connected to each other and separated by a series of short interludes, it lasts about five hours and there are no traditional intervals: the public is however invited to move freely during the show. When it was first presented, Einstein on the beach represented a real revolution and today it is considered one of the most important artistic productions of our times. New York Times producer and art critic John Rockwell, after seeing the show for the first time, put it this way: “ Einstein is not comparable to anything I've ever met. I believe that the elusiveness that emanates in abundance is similar to that emanating from certain brown stars whose effects can only be perceived with the senses. The synergy between words and music seems perfect ". And again: “Einstein on the beach, perhaps just like Einstein himself, transcends time. It is not (only) an artistic product of his time, it is a timeless work ... Einstein must be seen and reviewed, encountered and tasted ... an experience that you carry with you throughout your life .