Israeli composition to debut in Boston
By Molly Ritvo
The Jewish Advocate
January 15, 2008
The Cantata Singers set to perform Israeli composer's latest work
Thanks to the organizing efforts of Cambridge's Cantata Singers, Israeli composer Lior Navok's newest musical composition, "And the Trains Kept Coming," will premiere in Boston on Jan. 18. His piece, which paints an ugly picture of the World War II era, will also be performed by the Cantata Singers at Jordan Hall.
"I was concerned about why no one helped the Jews during the Holocaust," said Navok, who composed his music in response to primary documents from the Holocaust, now housed at Yad Vashem. "I later discovered that not only were people reluctant to help, but in many cases, they interfered and sabotaged rescue possibilities for selfish reasons."
Included among the texts Navok used for inspiration were correspondences imploring the Allies to bomb railroad tracks leading to WWII death camps, train transport schedules, and notes wedged into barrack walls intended for the young son of a mother on the way to the gas chambers.
"It changed my life to look at these texts. It was unbearable," added Navok, who spent over 100 hours in Yad Vashem's archives.
According to David Hoose, music director of the Cantata Singers, the premiere of "And the Trains Kept Coming" represents the third commissioned work in the Cantata Singers "Slavery Documents" stream.
"Music addresses painful parts of living, opens our hearts, and can ultimately help us think, reflect and try to reconcile the joy of life with history," said Hoose.
Navok, a 37-year-old Tel Aviv native, has had his music performed by numerous orchestras, such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.
"When I heard pieces of his music, I was completely moved," said Hoose. "Like Navok, trains were important to me when I was a boy. They meant hope for the future and travels to better places. The sounds of trains that Navok weaves through his music reflect a complete opposite of that."
Navok said that the central theme permeating his music is the idea of "bystanders," people who stand on the side and who "see the other suffering and do nothing, or encourage additional suffering, or take the benefit of such suffering."
Although Navok's ancestors were safe during the Holocaust, he said that as an Israeli composer, he felt obligated to "explore such an indelible part of Jewish history."
"'And the Trains Kept Coming' juxtaposes heartbreaking personal stories with the cold and calculated German bureaucratic correspondence," Navok said. "The music is structured as a series of un-staged scenes, which change rapidly. The distinction between good and bad becomes blurry - a feeling that many survivors mention."
At the Jan. 18 event, Navok's composition will be partnered with 1920s German-American composer Kurt Weill's "The Prophets," which chronicles the history of the Jewish people.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater and the Israeli Consulate are helping to promote Navok's music by hosting receptions and discussions before and after the premiere.
"It is incredibly important that we see music commenting and responding to issues that matter and have shaped our collective experiences," said Udi Urman, the cultural attaché at the Israeli Consulate.
"It is not an easy subject for people to deal with," added Navok. "It makes listeners uncomfortable, but that is needed to bring out the truth of its message."
