Dedicated to the workers of Palestine, “The Pioneers,” Jacob Weinberg’s opera in Hebrew of the reconstruction of the Holy Land, made its world debut Sunday evening at Mecca Temple before a large and appreciative audience. The composer is also the author of the libretto.
Of the three acts, the first is set amidst the squalor and dirt of a Polish Jewish village, while the other two are laid in a Jewish colony in Galilee, where the protagonists work out their fate in a fashion that is satisfactory to the most hopeful of optimists.
“The Pioneers” is the first opera to concern itself with the epic of building in Palestine by idealistic Jewish youth. The composer, who was born in Russia, lived in Palestine for several years, and the work is the result of first-hand inspiration which reached fruition here in New York.
Woven into the pattern of the music are the folk tunes of the Jewish people, both the somber chants of exile and the happy, gay songs of work in Eretz Israel.
The large cast, chorus and orchestra were competently directed by Michael Fiveiski. Lola Monti-Gorsi, Lucien Rutman, Nicholas Zaslavsky, Nicholas Daroff and Martin Horodes sang the principal roles.
Dvorah Lapson directed and composed the dances, and she and Arthur Meany were the principal dancers.
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