The Israeli Opera and Gesher Theater present ‘Mothers,’ a contemporary opera by David Seba that gives voice to silenced women of the Book of Genesis.
There are many female heroines in the Book of Genesis, but we hear their stories from the male point of view. Few are not even mentioned by their first names but only as wives of. The composer and writer of the opera, David Seba, winner of the 2020 Rosenblum Prize, went back to the biblical stories to get inspired.Reading them again he asked himself: How did Noah’s wife feel after all her friends and relatives drowned? What happened to Lot’s wife when she heard her husband asking the men of Sodom to rape her daughters? Why did Rebecca prefer one son over his twin brother? All of those silenced voices finally get to be heard. Leading all of them is the voice of God sung by a soprano. Set as a procession of dialogues or ensembles, the stories focus on emotional moments from the biblical text.
The director is Shirit Lee Weiss. Mothers (Imahot) will be performed in Hebrew with English subtitles. June 7-12, at the opera House, Tel Aviv (03) 692-7777 www.israel-opera.co.il