Five-hour 'Visionary' Opera part Of ENO's plans for Manchester

A rarely produced, interval-free five-hour opera that was hailed as revolutionary when it was first per-formed in 1976 is to be part of English National Opera's first three years of plans for Greater Manchester.

- Mark Brown

Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's plotless Einstein on the Beach baffled some operagoers when it was first seen in 1976. But many also saw it as visionary. The New York Times critic said it was "bizarre, occasionally boring, yet always intermittently beautiful" adding: "You will never forget it, even if you hate it."

It is now regarded as a minimalist classic, and an immersive production of Einstein on the Beach will be performed in Manchester, although not until 2027. It is one of a number of productions and initiatives described by ENO as "the first wave" of its plans in Greater Manchester. It includes a production next year at the Lowry in Salford of Benjamin Brittean Albert Herring, plans to co-create a youth opera company, and a collaboration with local football teams.

The aim, ENO said, is to be "firmly established within Greater Manchester by 2029".