Many songs in this work consist of repetitions of solfege syllables and numbers, while others contain poetry by Christopher Knowles.
One part of this work sees a speaker describe the "Fourth of July plumes" on a selection of "red and yellow and blue" bathing caps. That Lucinda Childs text is recited from a bed during this work's passage "Prematurely Air-Conditioned Supermarket," which is followed in its "Prison" section by passages about Mr. Bojangles and quotes from Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move." Many songs in this work consist of repetitions of solfege syllables and numbers, while others contain poetry by Christopher Knowles. Its three major sections are called "Train," "Trial," and "Field/Spaceship;" those sections are broken up by its so-called "knee plays." For 10 points, identify this five-hour-long opera about a scientist, the first "portrait" opera by Philip Glass.
One part of this work sees a speaker describe the "Fourth of July plumes" on a selection of "red and yellow and blue" bathing caps.
Einstein on the Beach