MOSHEH is the biblical story of Moses re-enacted as an ancient-futuristic ritual. Created by Yoav Gal, whose style has been termed "Indie Opera" by the New York Times, and directed by Kameron Steele, MOSHEH presents a new aesthetic in the realm of opera. It draws on a wide palette of genres spanning performance and video art, minimalism and modern dance. It is also influenced by Baroque opera, with its virtuosic singing, intricate yet melodious music, and formal storytelling. The work treats its biblical theme as a personal, spiritual hallucination, emphasizing the role of four female characters in the hero's evolution.

Originally commissioned by Kaufman Center-Merkin Concert Hall with generous support from Denise Simon and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Photo: Yoav Gal
 

My goal is the unification of the arts in the operatic tradition. The proliferation of new media tools, and a personal history of working within modest means, channeled my work into a hybrid of arts which I term ‘New Opera,’ a dramatic form which draws on an array of old and new mediums.

Next to elements that are usually associated with Opera, such as extreme stylization and vocal virtuosity, I also draw on mediums such as Performance Art, Video Art, and Sampling.  Sound and video images are captured from the real world, and then imitated, formalized and stylized.  Several of my recent works, such as Dr. King, and We Shall Fight, are based on recorded and “musicalized” speech.
 
Opera, for me, is a flexible term. The ‘operatic’ experience can be generated on stage, on film, through recording and text, or in any other forms yet to be explored.  At the core is the notion that I work in a dramatic form where music is queen.

Composer Yoav Gal specializes in the marriage of music and image.  His work has been described as "Indie Opera", (New York Times’ Anne Midgette), and as “livingroom opera” (Michael Gordon, Bang on a Can).  Born in Israel and residing in New York, he has created works for groups such as Bang on a Can Vertical Player Rep, Golden Fleece Opera, Kaufman Center/Merkin Hall, Real Quiet Trio, World of Awe, and other ensembles and individual performers.
 
His recent commissions include works such as Dr. KING, for the Bang on a Can (2006); MOSHEH, a mixed-media opera, for Merkin Concert Hall (2006), and We Shall Fight, for the Real Quiet trio.  Other commissions include VENUS IN FURS, a videOpera (2004) and BERESHIT, (2001), for the Golden Fleece LTD; THE DWARF, a comic opera, for Vertical Player Rep, (2003); solo works Ir Shel Shalom, for David Cossin, and Strangers, for Wendy Sutter; as well as chamber works for, Ensemble Pamplemousse, ICE, and Now Ensemble.
 
Gal’s recently released CD, Bit by Bit, Cell by Cell, a ‘virtual opera, based on Yael Kanarek’s “World of Awe”, combined digitally processed voice and sounds generated from discontinued Atari 800XL computer.
 
Gal is a recipient of grants from the NEA, American Music Center, Harvestworks, Franklin Furnace, and BCAT/Brooklyn - Rotunda Gallery. Born in Israel and a resident of New York since 1988, he holds a BA in composition from the Manhattan School of Music and an MA from Queens College, a student of David Noon, Nils Vigeland and Thea Musgrave.  He also studied visual art in Thelma Yelin School for the Arts, in Tel Aviv.  His fledgling cable show videOpera is sometimes aired on Brooklyn Community Access TV.