Einstein on the Beach

Some artworks change history, affecting everything that comes after them. Some change us, altering the way we perceive the world. Einstein on the Beach does both. First staged at BAM in 1984 and revived in 1992 and 2012, this revolutionary work returns in a 50th Anniversary Concert presented by the artists who know it best—The Philip Glass Ensemble, led by longtime music director Michael Riesman—with a special artistic installation by Tony and Olivier Award-winning artist and designer Es Devlin inspired by Glass’s early writings about his mesmerizing music. Introduced at the 1976 Festival d’Avignon by visionary director Robert Wilson and iconic composer Philip Glass—who hatched their collaboration after meeting at BAM in 1973—this otherworldly opera has captivated audiences with its luminosity and propulsion, permanently rewiring the rules of storytelling, stagecraft, and composition. Hypnotic, transcendent, and unlike anything before or since, Einstein on the Beach is an experience that demands to be met on its own terms.