Palestinian Violence Comes to Life in a New Portuguese Opera
I recently saw, in the lovely port city of Setúbal Portugal, one of the first performances of a new opera Eu So Alma (I am Alma), with music by João Malha, libretto by Diogo Faro, and staging/sets/lighting by Maria Madalena and Iolanda Rodrigues. I have a bit of a conflict of interest here, as Mr. Malha is also the conductor of the medical orchestra in which I play in Lisbon. The opera was an uncompromising, passionate indictment of the Israeli occupation and violence in Gaza, proclaiming its anti-war stance openly. For example, the words "murder" and "genocide" came up often; this would be difficult to perform in the US or some other western countries, where censorship has become more common than in Portugal. Performed in Portuguese, this one-act opera was a powerful, raw experience with an excellent musical score. The opera is the telling of how a Palestinian family is destroyed by Israeli bombing in Gaza. There is a brief opening scene showing domestic life. I...