"Einstein on the Beach changed my life. Everything I thought musical theater was, abruptly wasn’t." So writes New York Times music critic Bernard Holland in yesterday's paper, previewing this Thursday's concert version of the seminal 1976 Philip Glass / Robert Wilson collaboration. The performance by the Philip Glass Ensemble, at Carnegie Hall, will be the first time it has been done live in 15 years.

In the article, Holland describes Glass's music and Wilson's direction in vivid detail. But mostly, he recommends not spending too much time trying to parse every detail and figure out what it's really all about. In Einstein, Glass uses considerable repetition to tell an utterly non-linear story, or non-story, full of unexpected stops and starts.

The non-traditional structure of the piece has proved exceptionally difficult for classically trained musicians to play. Musicians talk "of complete mental exhaustion after dealing with this music. Not even the best symphony orchestras do it well." And so, Glass has looked to his own Ensemble—"instrumentalists and singers with one foot in the Juilliard School and the other in rock music"—to perform the piece as it should be done. Led by Michael Riesman, these musicians are well versed in the "intractable repetitions" found both in rock and in Glass's music. What's more, they have "the patience to deal with both. A certain empty-headedness comes into play, but an exalted empty-headedness, actually a form of high intelligence."

That very same sort of intelligence is what Holland recommends audiences strive for when approaching Einstein. And he does recommend it:

Einstein on the Beach is the ideal entertainment for people smart enough not to think too much. Relevance, allusion, historical significance, metaphor, symbol and myth may make the inquiring mind go round, but too much meaning can also clog the arteries ... Look at it (if you have the chance) and listen to it. Einstein may well be speaking volumes to your subconscious without your knowing. Ask your subconscious if you must, but it will probably tell you to mind your own business.

To read Holland's article, visit nytimes.com. For ticket information on this Thursday's performance, visit carnegiehall.org. For more on the 1993 Nonesuch recording of the piece, click here.