"Einstein remains a masterpiece; it has, thus far, triumphantly withstood the test of time. Einstein is constantly involving and almost religiously moving…an experience to cherish for a lifetime."
- John Rockwell, The New York Times

One of the truly pivotal artworks of our time."
- Alan Rich, Newsweek

“Einstein sends one out of the auditorium in a state of meditative euphoria…it remains among the most significant theatrical achievements of the entire post-World War II period.”
- Dale Harris, The Wall Street Journal

"In the vastness and complexity of its themes, the cultural centrality of its subject matter, and the daring, breadth and originality of its artistic means, it remains an achievement for which the descriptor "supreme" does not seem the least excessive. From the moment it begins, it seduces the viewer into an immense, imagined universe of its own…its spell never lets up for a second."
- Alan M. Kriegsman, Washington Post

"Einstein on the Beach is a pivotal work in the oeuvre of Philip Glass. It is the first, longest, and most famous of the composer’s operas, yet it is in almost every way unrepresentative of them. Einstein was, by design, a glorious “one-shot”—a work that invented its context, form and language, and then explored them so exhaustively that further development would have been redundant. But, by its own radical example, Einstein prepared the way—it gave permission—for much of what has happened in music theater since its premiere."
- Tim Page, Einstein on the Beach liner notes