ICTUS, Collegium Vocale Gent & Suzanne Vega, Philip Glass: Einstein on the Beach

In the organizer's words:

Classics of minimal music in a concert version

When Philip Glass and Robert Wilson came up with the concept for "Einstein on the Beach", they had nothing less than a revolution in opera in mind. Half a century after its premiere in Avignon in 1976, the work enjoys cult status and was recently described by the Los Angeles Times as the "most important opera of the last 50 years". The work completely turns the genre on its head and leaves even Wagner's powerful idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk behind: there is no continuous plot, but seemingly spaceless and timeless soundscapes with mysterious text fragments. These will be performed in HELLERAU by the singer Suzanne Vega, with the Ictus Ensemble from Brussels as the orchestra and the legendary Collegium Vocale Gent, founded by Philippe Herreweghe in 1970, as the choir.

The concert performance concentrates on the composition with its minimalist, complex structures and at the same time focuses on the special architecture of the Festspielhaus. The considerable length of the work, the repetitive and hypnotic music by Philip Glass and the diction by Suzanne Vega immerse the audience in an immersive, unfathomable listening experience and an immersive, minimalist experience. Throughout the performance, the Great Hall in the Festspielhaus can be left and re-entered, and the bar in the foyer will remain open throughout. In this way, "Einstein on the Beach" interacts with the acoustics and the historic spatial structure of the Festspielhaus to create an extraordinary experience.

Presented as part of the Dresden Music Festival 2026.