‘Dancers in the Vineyards’ at Univeristy of Houston to honor Nova music festival victims

On Thursday, March 6, at 7:30 pm, at the Hines College of Architecture, the University of Houston will debut an original piano composition by international acclaimed Israeli composer Alona Epshtein to honor the victims of the Nova music festival massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. The original composition, “Dancers in the Vineyards,” will accompany other music by Jewish composers, all performed by Dr. Tali Morgulis, associate professor of piano at UH. This will be a free event.

“Dancers in the Vineyards” holds special significance to Epshtein, and its story spans nearly a decade.

“I planned on composing a piece for my brilliant friend, pianist Tali Morgulis, since 2017, when we both were working as co-directors of ‘Shelter project’ and Vox Feminae International Festival,” Epshtein told the JHV.

“‘Shelter’ was an ambitious project with commissions of musical and multimedia works from all around the world, connecting west and east. The main idea was that all of us are searching for the safe place, physical or metaphorical, but finding one is not always possible.”

Epshtein had planned to continue this project before the Oct. 7 massacre changed everything.

“My work changed course; I couldn’t think of anything else. The story of ‘Dancers in Vineyards’ from the Book of Judges just came by itself. The story of brutal abductions of women and girls during the festive days became the counterpart of my work.

“And still, the story of Benjamites abducting dancing girls is very mild. The Nova massacre was so different. ‘Dancers in the Vineyards,’ which I composed, is not just a ‘dark’ story; it’s a reflection on extreme brutality, on sexual violence against women and men. If you watch the video of our hostages’ abduction … you can see their hopeless fight, the desperate expression on their faces. That is what my piece is about.”

Oct. 7’s impact sounds throughout the piece, distorting a sense of normality.

“The middle section of the piece features a quotation from ‘Goldberg Variation’ by Bach, with my additions, which can be using the different scales or clusters,” Epshtein continued. “The quotations from Bach represent the ‘normal’; meanwhile, my additions are the ‘split,’ the knowledge that nothing is the same now. The ‘normal’ sounds turn [out] to be a delusion and become grotesque with endless repetitions.”

Still, this event balances light and darkness. “The life-affirming counterpart of Alona’s work on this program is Judith Shatin’s set of ‘Chai’ Variations,” Morgulis told the JHV. “It uses a gorgeous, brooding folk song, ‘Eliahu HaNavi,’ as its theme. ‘Chai’ is the Hebrew word for ‘Life,’ and this piece beautifully demonstrates why Judith Shatin was described as a ‘natural storyteller’ by reviewers.

“I was thrilled to find out that Judith will be able to come to Houston especially for this performance. Shorter and more lighthearted pieces by Paul Shoenfeld – ‘Five Improvisations on Hassidic Dances’ – and George Gershwin – ‘3 Preludes’ and ‘I Got Rhythm’ – complement these works.”

Epshtein feels strongly about making a statement now. “It was important for me to bring this piece to American Jews,” she told the JHV. “In the very beginning of the war, we were watching the massive protests against Israel, in U.S. universities and other places. We were told many of them were led by Jewish organizations. It was a slap in the face. We just felt betrayed.”

Morgulis also feels the importance of holding this event now. “At this time of rampant antisemitism, there is nothing more important to me than introducing my audience to the music written by my people,” she told the JHV.

Epshtein’s upbringing, one surrounded by people from different backgrounds and faiths, has strongly influenced her beliefs and music.

“I grew up in Azerbaijan, a Muslim country, where Muslims, Christians and Jews were living in co-existence,” Epshtein told the JHV. Although she moved to Israel in 1990, this upbringing has remained with her for her entire life.

“I believe in co-existence,” she said. “My father taught in high school in Kfar Quseifa, voluntarily spending most of his time translating all the materials of his class to Arabic – not because of his political views, but to give his students the best chance for a good life.

“The first to reach out to me when they heard about the massacre were my Muslim friends abroad.”

Epshtein has remained productive, already starting her next compositions.

“I completed two pieces during the war. One is ‘Dancers in Vineyards’; the second is a piece for choir, based on texts of ‘Book of Creation,’ a great work in Jewish mysticism.

“My next project [still in planning] is a set of 12 concertos for bass recorder (for my friend Inbar Solomon), string quartet, piano and percussion. Each concerto is named after the Hebrew name of the month, with focus on particular dates [in Hebrew] that are significant for me.”

Epshtein is grateful for this opportunity and for everyone helping make it a reality.

“I want to say thank you to my great collaborator, an amazing pianist, Tali Morgulis, for performing my piece; to the young dancers, Khen Kurulkar and Joshua Ponton, for getting into the skin of this piece to build the choreography and dance it; and to all the contributors who are making this event happen: the Israeli embassy, the Hillel organization in Houston and the Adele and John Gray Endowment Fund and Marsha Gray, who made my trip to the U.S. possible.”

Morgulis concurred. “It has been a delight to collaborate on ‘Dancers in the Vineyards’ with dancers Khen Kurulkar and Joshua Ponton,” she told the JHV. “Their creativity and deep understanding of the tragedy of Oct. 7 is an invaluable resource in creating a unique performance.”

Morgulis’ message for anyone curious about this event: “Alona is one of the brightest, most creative people I know. She is fearless in her exploration of the sound world. Part of the thrill of working with Alona is that I don’t exactly know what to expect, but I completely trust her to take me on a powerful journey through musical imagery.”