The Israeli Opera will present a staged production of Benjamin Britten’s moving War Requiem, Op. 66, conducted by Alexander Joel, and directed by Ido Ricklin. Performances of the orchestral and choral work, with over 200 participants, will take place on December 6, 8, 10, and 13, 2024. The War Requiem will be performed in lieu of the opera Peter Grimes, which was scheduled for December, and is being postponed due to the war.
Maestro Alexander Joel will be coming to Israel to conduct the Requiem, following his recent performance at the Royal Opera House in London where he conducted La Traviata. The production will be directed by Ido Ricklin, the Israeli Opera’s Dramaturg, and one of my favorite directors, whose repertoire at the Israeli Opera includes L’italiana in Algeri, Alcina, and most recently the magnificent opera Theodor, for which he wrote the libretto.
The Requiem is considered one of the most important works of the twentieth century, and Britten’s greatest work. The Israeli Opera production will include over 220 artists, among them – 8 soloists, and two orchestras, a full symphony orchestra and a chamber orchestra, a 90-person chorus, and a chorus of children with 30 singers.
The Requiem, which was first performed in May 1962, was commissioned for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, built after the original 14th century structure was destroyed by bombing in World War II. Britten, in a bold move, interspersed the traditional Latin texts of the requiem with poems by Wilfred Owen (1893 – 1918), who served in the 21 Special Air Service Regiment (known as Artists Rifles), and was killed in action a week before the end of World War I. Although relatively unknown at the time of his death, Owen has since become known as one of the greatest poets of the First World War, with poems that depicted the horrors and ravages of the war.
In the Israeli Opera production, the liturgical music will be performed by two sopranos, the expanded chorus, and the symphony orchestra, while Owen’s poems, will have a more intimate rendition, by three tenors, three baritones, and the chamber orchestra. The children’s chorus, with their sweet voices, is a reminder of the loss of innocent young lives in war. Although originally written for three soloists who perform different roles, Director Ido Ricklin has chosen an interpretation in which each soloist represents a different figure. Ricklin stated: “Within the powerful mighty tremendous song of the chorus, we shine a light on several figures – men, women, and children. A series of human stories within the tumult of war – the loss, the pain, the compassion, and the hope for healing. From the anguished cries over those who have been killed, to a chilling encounter between a soldier killed in the war and the man he killed a day earlier.”
More on the opera (in Hebrew) from Director Ido Ricklin:
Performing Britten’s Requiem:
Soloists Sopranos Alla Vasilevitsky, Shaked Strul; Tenors Peter Wedd, Aaron Blake, Anthony Webb; Baritones Eric Greene, Oded Reich, Yair Polishook; additional soloists Rona Shrira, Yarden Kiperman, Tamara Navoth, Veronika Brook, Efrat Hacohen Bram, Anton Trotush, Yoav Ayalon, Roi Witz; The Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion, The Israeli Opera Chorus, Chorus Master Itay Berckovitch; The Moran Singers Ensemble, Artistic Director Naomi Faran. Set and costumes are designed by Ula Shevtsov, Lighting design Nadav Barnea.
Performance dates:
Friday, December 6th at 13:00; Sunday, December 8th at 19:30; Tuesday, December 10th at 20:00; Friday, December 13th at 13:00.
Tickets and additional information are available on the Israeli Opera website: https://www.israel-opera.co.il/eng/ Or call 03-6927777 to order tickets by phone.
