PopSci Recommends: What I Learned About Einstein In 4.5 Hours Of Opera

I went into the production of Philip Glass's "Einstein on the Beach" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Friday, curious to see if this famous 1976 work would tell me anything about science. In the program, I found no Einstein (although one orchestra member wore a white wig and mustache) and no beach. Also missing: Coherent lyrics. Oh, and a plot. If Einstein was there at all, it was in the music. Philip Glass's composition (often described as minimalist) is highly repetitive. It takes a few measures and repeats them dozens of times with little variation. Listen to the example below. It…