Einstein on the Beach

Would it get some wind for the sailboat.
And it could get those for it is.
It could get the railroad for these workers.
It could be a balloon.
It could be Franky, it could be very fresh and clean,
it could be.
It could get some gasoline shortest one.

Zag Al these are the days my friends and
these are the days my friends.
Could it get some wind for the sailboat.
And it could get those for it is.
It could get the railroad for these workers.
It could be a balloon.
It could be Franky, it could be very fresh and clean,
it could be.
It could get some gasoline shortest one.

Which one are the ones for.
So if you know. So i you take your watch off.
They’re easy to lose or break.
These are the days my friends and these are
the days my friends.
It could be some of th… It couls be on your own.
It could be where of all.
The way iron this one. So if you know you know.
this will be into where it could be. So look here.

(…)

Det er noe med Einstein on the Beach. Noe suggererende. En minimalistisk opera, et samarbeid mellom komponisten Philip Glass og avant-garde regissøren Robert Wilson. Wikipedia vil ha det til at Wilson ville lage en opera om Adolf Hitler eller Charlie Chaplin, mens Glass ville lage en om Mahatma Ghandi. Kompromisset ble Einstein, logisk nok (?).

Og når jeg sier at det er noe med denne operaen, noe suggererende, så er det like mye takket være teksten i operaen og måten den formidles på. Musikken er minimalistisk og repetetiv, mens ordene strømmer ut, historier folder seg ut i forskjellige lag; 1 2 3 4 12 3 4 messer i bunnen, så kommer Christopher Knowles‘ dikt, i all sin autistiske absurditet, over dette og så, på toppen av det kommer en tekst til, om kjærlighet; «Two lovers sat on a park bench, with their bodies touching each other, holding hands in the moonlight.» Og tekstene resiteres og blir en del av musikken, lag på lag med setninger og ord, akkurat som barokke stykker stadig vekk la inn nye temaer, eller variasjoner av et tema. Minimalistisk og komplekst samtidig.

I began to realize that the words flowed to a patterned rhythm whose logic was self-supporting. It was a piece coded much like music. Like a cantata or fugue it worked with conjugations of thoughts repeated in variations; these governed by classical constructions and a pervasive sense of humor. The effect was at once inspiring and charming. Philip Glass om sitt første møte Christophers poesi.