A Tale of Two Lights - Story and concept by Yotam Gaton

A story of the Hasidic movement a few decades after its birth, in the cold frontiers between Russia and Poland and those between the 18th and 19th centuries. This is the story of Shneor Zalman of Liadi, a spiritual leader and an enlightened rabbi during one of the darkest periods for the Jewish people. It is the story of the old worlds being rediscovered in the light of the Kabbalah, as the Napoleonic wars formed a new world.

Badkhan was a central figure in Jewish cultural life from the Middle Ages until the Second World War. He was a storyteller/jester/musician and carried a significant role in society. Our project is a homage to the lost tradition of Badkhonim. The concept of our performance derives from the melodrama genre that developed in the late 18th century. There, the fusion of recited text and music creates a breathtaking outcome. Other than composing music for a text as done in melodramas, here, the process is reversed, and the text is written to fit the theme. A Tale of Two Lights is a story of the Hasidic movement a few decades after its birth, in the cold frontiers between Russia and Poland and those between the 18th and 19th centuries. This is the story of Shneor Zalman of Liadi, a spiritual leader and an enlightened rabbi during one of the darkest periods for the Jewish people. It is the story of the old worlds being rediscovered in the light of the Kabbalah, as a new world was formed by the Napoleonic wars.

Fortepiano – Ilil Danin

Cello - Shuhei Takezawa

Soprano - Viktoria Nikolova

Violin and Narration – Yotam Gaton