Don Quixote Chronicle of a Lost War

Duration: 60 min., No intermission

In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Cervantes’ “Don Quixote” (1615), the Meitar Ensemble,actor Ami Shalev and poet and translator Tal Nitzan take us on a fascinating musical-theatrical journey. Based on the second part of “Don Quixote”, the selected texts cast a local, contemporary gaze at the most famous anti-hero in the history of world literature, underscoring questions about hidden truths, insanity, and the complexity of lost wars. Do we have an inherent need to surround ourselves with insanity? Does our desire to make the world a better place and to right wrongs justify the destruction of other countries and peoples? Why is our conception of good so often perceived by others as evil? Intertwining classical and contemporary music, the performance unfolds at several stations within the space, which each features a scene concerned with lost wars against windmills, demons, or enemies from the north. The music offers an additional perspective on innocence, love, and the hope of changing the world. Audience members are able to move, linger, and turn back, determining for themselves the order in which the performance unfolds and the way they experience it.

From the Reviews: “Innovative music is part of the landscape, and a concert of innovative music provokes curiosity, keeps our hand on our pulse, is challenging and enjoyable, and offers something to talk about when it ends: This is what the Metiar Ensemble has taught the Israeli music scene.” [Haaretz, 2014]

* This performance is standing-room only, and involves some walking *With the support of Institute Cervantes