Creation of the World or Kabbalat Shabbat

Germany's first chamber opera in Hebrew stages the story of creation and uses artistic means to develop it into an experience that transcends religious boundaries.
In times of war and division, it is a special concern of the artists to come together at one table.

DESCRIPTION

Seven days, seven musicians and six instruments - The Creation of the World or Kabbalat Shabbat is a journey through the process of the creation of the world.

The creation of the world and the reception of the day of rest Shabbat are told with the means of modern music theater and the composition of Alexander Manotskov. We follow how day after day emerges from a multitude of melodies, rhythms and sounds - until on Shabbat, the day of rest, all instruments fall silent and only voices can be heard.

The creation of the world or Kabbalat Shabbat, crowned by the rest of the last day, Shabbat, is an attempt at unification that encourages contemplation and gathering in times of division and destruction - an open invitation to come together. The holiday of Shabbat, as a worldwide ritual and lived memory, serves as the basis for the production in the style of modern music theater, which places the audience at a large banquet table, right in the middle of the action.

Instruments from European, Middle Eastern and Indian traditions can be heard. Equipped with the extraordinary costumes and stage design by Venera Kazarova, with performance and video installations, The Creation of the World or Kabbalat Shabbat becomes a special experience.

MUSIC

The creation of the world and the reception of Shabbat, the day of rest, are told through music, with new melodies, rhythms and sounds from European, Middle Eastern and Indian traditions emerging day after day and finally coming together to form a whole - until on Shabbat, the day of rest, all instruments fall silent and only voices can be heard.

Composer Alexander Manotskov

Director Emiliia Kivelevich

Stage design and costumes Venera Kazarova

Choreografie Lara Treichel

Video design / lighting Oleg Mikhailov

Preview

22 Oct 2023
Melanchtonkirche, Graf-Recke-Str.
211 40237 Düsseldorf

Premiere

18 Feb 2024
Museum «Old Synagogue» (one of the largest, best preserved and architecturally most impressive testimonies to Jewish culture in pre-war Germany).
Edmund-Körner-Platz 1, 45127 Essen

Instagram: World Creation Opera

TEAM

ALEXANDER MANOTSKOV- COMPOSER
Alexander Manotskov is the author of several chamber music and symphonic works as well as more than 20 operas, which have been performed in the USA, Norway, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. He has developed a series of projects and concert programs in collaboration with Ukrainian musicians. In addition, he has been honored with several musical and theatrical awards.
In addition, several of his scores have been published by Donemus Publishing in the Netherlands,
and recordings of his works have been available on the Fan- cymusic label in Russia and LAWO
Classics in Norway.

EMILIIA KIVELEVICH DIRECTOR
Emiliia Kivelevich is an experienced theater director with a master's degree in cultural studies. She
has more than 10 years of experience as a cultural scientist and has completed a second training as a theater director. Her directing work spans from Russia to Germany. Emiliia Kivelevich is characterized by her way of working at the interface between research and art. She consistently integrates documentary material in order to convey authentic narratives based on real experiences.
"MOMO" by Michael Ende, theater pedagogy. Premiere: July 2023, AKKI Düsseldorf, Germany.
"Displacement. Tomorrow I will not be..." Premiere: November 2021, Düsseldorf, Germany.
"So near, so far" Premiere: August 2021, Essen, Germany.

VENERA KAZAROVA- COSTUME AND STAGE ARTIST
Venera is a renowned costume designer who has designed costumes for a variety of events and
projects. These include designing costumes for the presentation of the new Cartier collection and
for the Etretat Gardens in Normandy (Les jardins d'Etretat). In addition to personal projects and exhibitions, she has also designed costumes for theater productions, surrealist gala dinners and the Moscow Fashion Week. She has also worked as an artist for the TV program "the grand opera" and has created costumes for the project "the golden mask in the city". Venera shares her work daily on her Instagram page, where she has 44,000 followers from all over the world.

LARA TREICHEL- CHOREOGRAFIE
Lara Treichel (Larissa Alexandrova), is a renowned choreographer and musical theater director with
degrees from Chelyabinsk University and the Russian Academy of Theater Arts (GITIS) in
Moscow. She is known for her cross-genre productions in drama, music and dance theater, which have been presented at international festivals and competitions and awarded major prizes, including the "Golden Mask". She is currently based in Berlin and is continuing her artistic career.

OLEG MIKHAILOV- VIDEO EDITING/LIGHT
Oleg Mikhailov is a video artist who works at the interface of media technologies and video art.
Since the late 1990s, he has been creating video and interactive installations, experimental
animations and video art, which are presented in exhibitions and theaters. Oleg Mikhailov
researches technologies for creating visual content and uses video engineering in theater and music performances. For ten years, Oleg Mikhailov has also taught multimedia directing, video design, sound design, 3D modeling, animation and special effects.

JIM GALAKTI- FLUGEHORN
Jim Galakti is a renowned trumpet player who has been successful for over 20 years in the German and European music scene for over 20 years. Known for his participation in the electro swing band TAPE FIVE, he plays all over the world and has twice received the Goethe-Institut scholarship. Since 2012 he has accompanied the Iranian pop star Shadmehr Aghili. In 2015 he released his solo album "Drop The Guns and Fly". He has accompanied Iranian pop star Shadmehr Aghili and his band on international stages since 2012. He has also performed in more than 50 concerts on major stages, including the Oberhausen Arena, the Dubai World Trade Center and the Expo 2016 in Antalya.

ANUSHAANT NAYINAI WIJAYAN- MRIDANGAM
Anushaant Nayinai Wijayan is a renowned Mridangam artist, musician and composer from
Germany. He completed his diploma in Mri- dangam in 2006 and then began offering Mridangam
classes at his registered cultural association, the Tamil Cultural and Welfare Association Essen e.V.
In 2017, he co-founded the of the Tamil Cultural Fine Arts Academy and founded the Konnakol Germany network. He is active there as a lecturer, performer and musician and offers workshops and master classes. Anushaant Nayinai Wijayan has made a significant contribution to the promotion of Tamil music and culture in Germany.

ANTON TSIRIN- HARMONIUM
Anton Tsirin is a talented actor, musician and social activist. After graduating from film school in
Cologne, he has appeared in more than ten different productions in Germany and Israel, including
films. Away from the stage and screen, Anton is also involved in social and educational work. He founded the Kibbutz Center for Culture, Art and Education. This remarkable project was nominated as Germany's Social Democratic Project of the Year in 2021.

BENJAMIN STEIN- SANTUR
Benjamin Stein has specialized in the study of the oud, a traditional stringed instrument, since 2015. His focus was on the exploration of Turkish and Arabic music. He completed his studies at prestigious universities in Mannheim and Rotterdam, where he was taught by outstanding lecturers such as Yurdal Tokcan, Samir Mansour and Alexandros Papad-imitrakis. In addition, he expanded his musical knowledge through lessons with renowned personalities such as Hossein Alizadeh, Negar Bouban, Hossein Pishkar, Ross Daly and Yasamin Shahhosseini.

IVANO ONAVI- BANSURI
Ivano Onavi is a versatile musician and music teacher. After studying classical guitar at the
Folkwang University of the Arts, he devoted himself primarily to world music.
He collaborates with musicians from all over the world and has already performed at concerts in
countries such as Spain, Russia, India and Germany. His deep passion for folklore is reflected in his
own compositions.