(solo violin, two flutes, bass clarinet, SATB chorus, two electric organs)

  • "Paris"/"All Men Are Equal" (solo electric organ)
  • Knee Play 2 (solo violin)
  • Act 2
  • Scene 1 – Dance 1 "Field with Spaceship" (piccolo, soprano and alto saxophones, solo soprano and alto voices, two electric organs)
  • Scene 2 – Night Train (solo soprano and tenor voices, two flutes, bass clarinet, SATB chorus, electric organ)
  • Knee Play 3 (SATB chorus a cappella)
  • Act 3
  • Scene 1 – Trial 2/Prison
  • "Prematurely Air-Conditioned Supermarket" (SATB chorus, electric organ)
  • Ensemble (three flutes, two electric organs)
  • "I Feel the Earth Move" (soprano saxophone, bass clarinet)
  • Scene 2 – Dance 2 "Field with Spaceship" (solo violin, solo soprano, SATB chorus, electric organ)
  • Knee Play 4 (solo violin, tenor and bass chorus)
  • Act 4
  • Scene 1 – Building/Train (two electric organs, improvisatory woodwinds and chorus, solo tenor saxophone)
  • Scene 2 – Bed
  • Cadenza (solo electric organ)
  • Prelude (solo electric organ)
  • Aria (solo soprano, electric organ)
  • Scene 3 – Spaceship (flute, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, solo violin, solo soprano voice, SATB chorus, two electric organs)
  • Knee Play 5 (solo violin, soprano and alto chorus, electric organ)

Recordings

Four "complete" recordings of the opera have been made: the first in 1978, initially released on the Tomato label (TOM-4-2901) in 1979, and later reissued by CBS Masterworks, followed by Sony Classical (both M4K 38875); the second in 1993, released that same year on the Nonesuch label (79323). The 1978 recording was held to 165 minutes in order to fit onto four LP records, i.e., the opening scene's repeats were considerably shortened. The 1993 recording encompassed 200 minutes, freed by the technology of the compact disc, although it was released on three CDs instead of the original's four.

Michael Riesman conducted both of the first two recordings. In 1978, Lucinda Childs, Sheryl Sutton, Paul Mann, and Samuel M. Johnson performed the opera's texts, with Philip Glass Ensemble performer Iris Hiskey taking the soprano solo. In 1993 Childs and Sutton repeated their roles, while Gregory Dolbashian and Jasper McGruder replaced Mann and the late Mr. Johnson's roles respectively; Patricia Schuman sang the soprano role. Most of the participants in the Nonesuch recording had performed in Einstein on the Beach during its 1992 world tour.

A third recording was taped live during the 1984 Brooklyn Academy of Music production run. This was released by Philip Glass's personal label Orange Mountain Music in early September 2012, as a 77-minute highlights CD, accompanied by the Changing Image of Opera documentary on DVD. The complete and unedited version, 217 minutes long, was also made available at the same time but only as a download, and later on streaming services.

The fourth, a 270-minute recording from January 2014 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris was released on DVD and Blu-ray in October 2016.

In October 2013, Pacifica Radio released a two disc set of a 1976 interview with Glass and Wilson conducted at The Kitchen and excerpts from a rehearsal of some excerpts from the opera, also performed at The Kitchen on March 19, 1976.

The violin part for the work has been performed by Robert Brown (in the live 1976 production), Paul Zukofsky (in the 1979 recording), Tison Street (in the live 1984 production), Gregory Fulkerson (in the live 1992 production and 1993 recording) and an interchanging performance of Jennifer Koh and Antoine Silverman during the 2012/16 production.

A shortened version of "I Feel the Earth Move", along with three other pieces from the opera, were chosen to appear on the Philip Glass album Songs from the Trilogy.

Anton Batagov recorded 3 transcription pieces (Scene 2 – Trial 1 from act 1, scene 2 – Night Train from act 2 and Knee Play 5) from this work on solo piano in his album Prophecies (2016, on Orange Mountain Music label).

In 2025, ICTUS released a recording with Collegium Vocale Gent and Suzanne Vega on the VLEK label.

The title was used as inspiration for the Counting Crows song "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)" (recorded in 1991), which was later released on the "DGC Rarities Vol. 1" (1994) compilation album.

In the episode "Out with Dad" (2000; S07 E15 PC717) of the TV series Frasier, the title character, an opera lover, says:

Among the works of Peter Schickele's fictitious alter ego P.D.Q. Bach is one called Einstein on the Fritz (S. E=mc<sup>2</sup>). Schickele was a friend of Philip and was a Juilliard classmate of his.

Helen Pickett's When Love (2012), choreographed for the Dance Theatre of Harlem, used "Knee Play 5" as the music.

Notes

References

  • Work details, philipglass.com
  • Analysis by Nicolas Sceaux, 2002
  • Photographs from the world premiere of Einstein on the Beach, Avignon Festival, 1976