This moment in the theater.
Hanoch Levin - the opera/Yossi Tzvkar
"Pierre Menard, the writer of Don Quixote" is one of the well-known and beloved short stories of classic literature lovers, even though it is very strange, to say the least.
In the esoteric story, the famous Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges presents a review of a book by an eccentric (and completely imaginary) French writer named Pierre Menard, who in the 20th century writes a "heroic" work, which is actually two chapters copied word for word from the Spanish writer's "Don Quixote" Miguel de Cervantes.
Sound complicated?
not exactly.
Borges tries to explain the differences between reading Don Quixote as an original and spontaneous work in the 17th century, and reading the exact same work in the 20th century, for all the layers the work has accumulated in the centuries since its release, and all the changes that the language, and with it the world itself, And the readers, experienced during those years.
Sometimes, you don't have to wait 300 years to insist on changes that occur within a work, without changing anything in it.
Sometimes one day is enough.
On October 8, the new production "Hanuch Levin - The Opera" was supposed to be staged in Tel Aviv.
A work wild in its originality, with five composers who took texts from our greatest playwright and turned them into one complete opera, full of humor, tending to the grotesque in parts and full of original music alongside well-known and beloved choruses.
The deadly surprise attack by Hamas on the settlements surrounding Gaza on October 7, and the war that broke out in its wake, naturally postponed the premiere of the opera.
Even when the hesitant routine returned, the Israeli opera preferred to play it safe and came back with the classic and non-threatening "Lucia di Lemurmur".
Last night, 118 bloody and painful days late, Hanoch Levin made his comeback to the most impressive stage in Israel.
And there are also "children's songs", like Yossi's mother.
Hanoch Levin - the opera/Yossi Tzvkar
"God, give us one month of boredom! Good, real, Swiss boredom! I so want to be bored! Get depressed from boredom! Hang myself from boredom!".
Hanoch Levin wrote this text in 1995 in the play "Murder", which was staged at the Chamber Theater in 1997. The play talks about the expectation of peace, with an almost prophetic understanding that it cannot come.
But the word "murder" in those years was identified with one man, and the word "peace" of those years is completely different from the word today.
It could be that since last October the words have changed their meaning again.
Composer Yonatan Canaan is responsible for composing this piece.
Three men stand on the stage.
Two in military uniform, the third looks suspiciously similar to the prime minister who served here in 1997.
"Every evening we say: Enough murder! From tomorrow - peace!", they sing, adding: "Every morning a child is born whose parents say: 'By the age of 18 this must end! And so 18 years, and another 18 years, and another 18 years.. Not because they expect life - not life!".
At these moments, three local divas of the Israeli opera join the stage - Tamara Navot, Daniela Skorka and Anat Charni.
The three of them did quite a few larger-than-life characters on this stage, but this time they are not in any character.
No wigs, no fancy dresses, almost no makeup.
Three young, talented Israeli women who sing about the challenging expectation of silence.
It was a non-opera moment in its simplicity.
Amazing that it was written long before October 7th.
It's sad to realize that he will probably always be relevant.
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Hanoch Levin - the opera/Yossi Tzvkar
As mentioned, five composers signed the new opera - Yossi Ben Nun, Yonatan Canaan, Yonatan Keret, Roni Rashef and David Zeba.
The first on the list was privileged to work with Hanoch Levin in his lifetime, the latter is also responsible for conducting and arranging the well-known hymns.
And so in fact it should be noted that in addition to the five composers, the current production includes pieces composed by Mati Caspi, Alex Kagan, Zohar Levy, Rami Kleinstein and Eva Alberstein (and also by Mozart, Beethoven and other surprises).
The combination of huge pop hits such as "London", "In no great sorrow, Bigron is not gloomy" or "Hayyam li meyum yum", which are familiar to every Israeli music lover even if they have never seen a play by Hanoch Levin, makes the 85 minutes of the opera the most flowing , even if the performance is not uniform in level.
Noteworthy is the soloist Anat Charni, whose performance of the classic "Chess" was chilling, and not just because of the timing.
One can think of quite a few more operatic choruses that would have been perfect for such an evening, such as "The Croissant Song" or "The Little Bird of Pants", and alternatively songs that could have been orchestrated such as "Chocolate Soldier" and "Even in a just war" that would have been perfect for the time in which we live - and still the decision to keep the evening at a sane length, and to balance the original pieces with the familiar songs was correct.
Not that we had any illusions about London.
Hanoch Levin - the opera/Yossi Tzvkar
Yael Levita, the great diva of the Tel Aviv Opera House, stood out in the original segments.
She stood out in the role of Ruth Shechash, the pianist with the instrumental butt known as "Big Tochees".
The well-known version by Alex Kagan was reworked by the composer Yonatan Canaan, who somehow made it even more cabaret and playful.
However, Levita reached her peak in the operatic version of the skit "Two angry men and an angry woman", in which she plays Gania who refuses to pass the salt to her husband because of a number of grotesque scenes from their married life.
In the hands of the composer Yonatan Kerat, the amusing piece becomes a classical aria, which at times feels like it was written in the 17th century, and still manages to maintain grace and humor.
We will also mention the lovely duet of Tom Cohen and Adi Ezra for the always chilling "You and I and the Next War" (if the song is not chilling in itself, remember that the rehearsals for the opera took place before October 7), and the wonderful Daniela Skorka as always who this time in addition to excellent singing also presented timing An excellent comedy in "Bachelors and Bachelorettes" composed by Roni Reshef.
Skorka stepped into the shoes of Irit Kaplan who played the role of Bulba in the original, whose every desire was to insert a finger into Zanidoch's rectum, including the unforgettable line: "My dear, you won't be able to bend down to tie a shoelace without me inserting a finger into you."
We can talk a lot more about the libretto edited by Ido Riklin, who managed to build a framework story that, even if it does not have an orderly theme, still easily went down the throats even of the old subscribers of the opera.
A good word goes almost as usual to the baritone Oded Reich, and this time also to Yair Polischuk who won some of the big roles he got on this stage, and it seems not for the last time.
Big will be angry.
Oded Reich and Yael Levita in "Hanuch Levin - The Opera"/Yossi Tzvekar
Still, it's hard to say that "Hanuch Levin - the opera" is a perfect work that does the playwright a real favor.
It may not be possible at all.
Levin's soldiers became opera singers at best, or a cute military band performing children's songs.
Levin's evenings did not arrive (is this even possible in the climate of 2024?), and neither did the prostitutes (same as above). Also the fact that no piece from "Queen of Bath" found its way into the new production is a miss.
Instead, we got a different and special opera evening One that included barks of laughter in the audience, and also quite a few joining in the singing, as if it were singing in public. The climax of the evening came at the end, when all the singers appeared on stage in black clothes, without wigs or costumes, and performed what the bird cares (the tree is tall), to the classic tune by Zohar Levy.
In the well-known version of the song, performed by the band "Acharit Himim" the most beautiful acoustic guitar solo in the history of Hebrew music is hidden, and in the operatic version by David Zeba they gave a lot of respect to the song, when the role of Yitzhak Klefter replaced an entire string division. It was hard not to remember that in the moments God, there are still Israelis in the tunnels of Gaza, who haven't seen birds, trees, and the sea for a long time. They can only dream at the moment. It was also impossible not to think about our soldiers at these moments. The reality that mixed with her in the protected space of the opera house made this sweet piece, a part From the general pain.
And in general, recently we seem to be living in a play by Hanoch Levin. Idan Amadi's painful press conference was such a moment.
Millions of citizens have shining eyes for a wounded singer who will save them from the cruel reality.
Reports of a minister in the cabinet eating popcorn while discussing the fates of fighters, a member of the Knesset spitting on an Arab member of the Knesset ("I said tapi, not tapo") and a prime minister renovating his pool while 136 of his citizens are kidnapped by almost four hostages in Gaza.
Pierre, he overdid it this time.
More on the same topic:
opera
The Israeli Opera
Hanoch Levin