The world premiere of “The Pioneers,” Palestinian opera by Jacob Weinberg, will take place Sunday night at Mecca. Temple. Additional performances will be given this Tuesday and Thursday.
The opera is based on a story of Jewish immigrants who leave their homes in Eastern Europe and journey to the Holy Land. In the words of the composer, who is head of the department of composition at the New York College of Music, “they come to their old Motherland from all parts of the world and dedicate their lives to its resurrection.”
“The Pioneers” received first prize at the international musical competition staged by the Sesqui-Centennial Association in Philadelphia in 1926.
Songs and dances are patterned closely on those heard and seen by Professor Weinberg in Palestine. Five original dances have been created for the premiere by Dvora Lapson, danseuse and mime.
Born in Odessa, Russia, Professor Weinberg was professor of piano in the Odessa Imperial Conservatory when the Revolution forced him to depart the country. He went to Palestine, where he traveled extensively.
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