"Who for you is Abraham?" Was he a prophet or a president? And Sarah? And Hagar?
The Cave, an operatic multimedia production based on legends of Abraham from the Bible and the Koran, explores these questions through a series of documentary interviews with Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans.
Employing state-of-the-art computer software and video technology, composer Steve Reich and video artist Beryl Korot mix video sequences and computer- manipulated stills to create a video tapestry of the Abraham narratives as they emerge from each culture. As the interviewees speak from five large video screens, thirteen musicians on stage play off the melodies and cadences of their voices.
The "cave" of reference is the Cave of the Patriarchs in Jerusalem, where according to legend, Abraham and his descendants are buried. The primary focus of The Cave is not the present or future of Arab-Israeli relations, but the common elements and diverging branches of Jewish, Muslim and even American cultures. "It is a very ancient story," says Korot, "but one which has resonance for modern people."
A prolific composer who had never written an opera, Reich shys from the term "multimedia." He nevertheless began experimenting with digital sampling and found in the technology a liberating creative outlet. "The ability to bring in sounds from the outside world satisfies the desire to put your life into your music," he says.
Above all, The Cave marks a new direction for musical theater in the video age. Since its much-anticipated debut in Vienna last May, the production has toured Europe and enjoyed a month-long run in New York. Reich and Korot, who are married, may take the show to San Francisco next year. "We're living in a culture where music videos are a kind of urban folk art," says Reich. By offering a modern translation of an ancient story, Reich and Korot may create their own.
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