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As the 300th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterpiece St. Matthew Passion approaches, the Israeli Opera, Kamea Dance Company, led by artistic director and resident choreographer Tamir Ginz, the Camerata Orchestra and the Israeli Vocal Ensemble collaborate on a multisensory artistic production featuring 100 artists on one stage, celebrating one of the most important and influential works in the history of Western music.
Bach’s masterpiece has been reimagined for dance through a three-year creative process, in collaboration with German music director and conductor Werner Ehrhardt. Together, Ginz and Ehrhardt developed a unique musical structure tailored to Ginz’s choreographic vision. Their collaboration has endured even through challenging years for Israel’s standing on the international stage, particularly for Israeli dance.
Set in the year 2727, a thousand years into the future, Matthaus Passion 2727 explores questions of faith, humanity, guilt, sacrifice and hope – universal themes that feel more relevant today than ever.
Through elegant contemporary dance and a sequence of striking visual tableaux reminiscent of a gallery exhibition, Tamir Ginz turns the traditional narrative of Christianity’s origins on its head. In a bold, subversive interpretation, he connects Christian mythology with Judaism and draws on his own sources of inspiration as a Jew and the son of Holocaust survivors.
Ginz has created a powerful, daring and distinctly contemporary choreographic interpretation of Bach’s masterpiece. He is only the second choreographer known to have created a full-length ballet based on St. Matthew Passion, following John Neumeier of Hamburg Ballet.
Tamir Ginz: “Matthaus Passion 2727 quite literally ‘fell upon me’ when I was invited to choreograph such monumental music. The search for a movement-based narrative that would connect me, as the son of Holocaust survivors, to the story of Judas’s betrayal of Jesus – and perhaps of humanity itself – was deeply unsettling.
Three years of in-depth research, along with an exhibition at the Israel Museum titled ‘Behold the Man – Jesus in the Eyes of Judaism,’ opened up an immense world of inspiration for me. It led me into the studio to create a work that turns the mythological narrative on its head.
The visions unfolding on stage echo pivotal moments in both the New Testament and Jewish history. I leave it to the audience to imagine scenes drawn from each person’s own collective memories, building toward the final punchline that brings everything into focus. Without a doubt, this is one of the most significant works I have created in my 30 years of making work for the professional stage.”
Bridging one of the great traditions of Western music with the language of contemporary dance, the performance invites audiences on an unforgettable emotional journey.
Lighting by Dr. Yaron Abulafia, costumes by Limor Hershko Dror, and set design by Adam Keller come together to create a unified stage environment on a monumental scale. Their work establishes a precise, uncluttered visual language that complements the action on stage and brings the artistic vision into focus.
Produced by Bimot Global in collaboration with Dudu Zarzevsky
On stage:
26 dancers of Kamea Dance Company
The Jerusalem Camerata Orchestra
The Israeli Vocal Ensemble
Solo singers
Music Director and Conductor: Werner Ehrhardt (Germany)
Duration: 80 minutes, no interval
The performance includes full male nudity.
Recommended for ages 16 and up.
Main image photo credit: Roni Knaani
