The Escape of Jonah & Here Comes Messiah! - March 1, BU Fine Arts Concert Hall



Poet Janice Rebibo and Composer Matti Kovler
U.S. Premiere of an exciting new work:  Boston University's Program for Scripture and the Arts, The Jewish Cultural Endowment and the Boston University Humanities Foundation present The Escape of Jonah, an oratorio written by
Matti Kovler, a Russian-born Israeli composer. The English libretto was written by poet, Janice Silverman Rebibo, inspired
by Sivan Beskin's Hebrew poem.
This work of music theater, directed by Michael Rotenstein,
retells the story of the biblical prophet Jonah from a contemporary point of view, bringing together the sounds of a nine-piece band, choir, soloists and electronics.
The concert will also feature an additional work by Kovler:
Here Comes Messiah!, scored for soprano and chamber ensemble, directed by Masha Nemirovsky, libretto by Janice Silverman Rebibo.
A conversation with the composer and a reception will follow the performance. Presented with support from the The Other Within, a Jewish Studies Faculty Initiative at BU. Free and open to the public.  For more information:  http://www.bu.edu/scriparts/calendar/index.html
Location:
Boston University College of Fine Arts, Concert Hall,
855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Time/Date: March 1, 2011 7pm
    

Here is a performance of the version of Here Comes Messiah! as revised in 2011 for the wonderfully talented soprano, Reut Rivka (2009 premiere performance featured Tehila Nini Goldstein at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Auditorium):
http://vimeo.com/23670964
"The CFA Concert Hall was filled with a crowd of more than 250 attendees, of whom an estimated third were undergraduate students, but which also included faculty and many visitors from the Boston community. The concert was introduced by Department of Religion Chair Deeana Klepper, who placed the work into scriptural context. In addition to students from Boston University, the performers included students of the New England Conservatory and Northeastern University. Featured performers were Reut Rivka, a sublime Israeli soprano who is currently studying in Holland, and the very talented Ezra Weller, who, with his trumpet, played the musical role of Jonah. The concert was followed by a question and answer session with Matti Kovler, in which many thoughtful questions were posed about his compositional process, and the challenges of working with such a variety of material and influences.  A reception followed the Q&A."  Deeana Klepper, Chair, Department of Religion, Boston University
http://www.bu.edu/humanities/files/2011/09/Michael-DunyeaJonah.pdf

Early Rehearsal Clip


On this collaboration, see also the 2009 event:
Faces of Israel: the art scene through words and music
Poetry and Music Evoking Israel, Sunday in Boston — Faces of Israel: the art scene through words and music will be presented by Janice Rebibo, poet and Matti Kovler, composer
http://www.jewishjournal.org/story/news_features/poetry_and_music_evoking_israel_sunday_in_boston/