More than 250 singers, musicians and dancers will participate in the huge production "Carmen in the Park", which will take the stage tonight in Yarkon Park.
In an interview with Israel Hayom, the music director of the Israel Opera, Dan Ettinger, talks about the work of making classical music accessible to the younger generation and claims: "It's a magic that cannot be denied."
"Carmen" by Bizet is one of the most popular operas of all time.
Tonight it will be performed as part of the annual initiative of the Israel Opera and the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo, and will be open to the general public free of charge.
The opera was directed by Gadi Shechter, and accompanied by the opera orchestra - the Israeli Rishon LeZion Symphony Orchestra.
"It's a huge event that is expected to be attended by 30,000-50,000 people. The audience comes and sees a complete opera production, experiences it in a completely different environment, not the fancy environment, even though since opera is not only fancy, it's simply a celebration," Ettinger explains.
"I won for the first time that the Tel Aviv municipality put on a production for the municipal square, it was 'La Traviata.'
Ettinger.
"There is not enough support here", photo: Michael Fabia
Opera outside, in August, in Tel Aviv. Lots of challenges to face.
"True, and we face the same as anywhere in the world. When you take the opera out of its natural environment and suddenly depend on amplification, at the mercy of electronics and weather conditions - both we and the audience leave our comfort zone."
How can classical music be made accessible to the younger generation?
"You have to try by all means to get them to experience opera for the first time. From this moment on, you don't have to do much, because the magic of this thing is something that cannot be debated. You can try to make someone fall in love with pop or heavy rock or opera, but in the end either it will touch them Or not. Productions of this type are gaining momentum, because they match the taste and habits of the generation."
It's hard to ignore the "brain drain" of classical music, when more and more Israeli artists choose to move abroad to make music there. You don't live here either. How do you deal with it
?
My generation 20 or 30 years ago left here, when Israel was a small province and not digitally connected to the whole world, and we traveled to study and enrich our knowledge.
Those who got a job stayed there, many of them return to Israel.
But in all honesty, when a musician or an artist is unable to make a living in Israel from practicing his profession - why not escape?
There is no substitute for living in Israel, but the situation here is worsening in terms of the inability of artists to make a living from their profession and of cultural institutions to make a living and create.
The audience fills the halls and there is a thirst for culture, but there is not enough support here."
Do you see yourself coming back?
"I'll answer half-jokingly: I've lived in Germany for twenty years, but no matter where I am in the world - my iPad is open to channel 12 or 13, because in my mind and head I live completely in Israel. I've never lost touch, never really disconnected. I took it upon myself Musical management of organizations here so I'll physically have to be here. Returning right now is not practical, but I don't know what will happen in ten years. Maybe the apartment prices here will drop" (laughs).
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