Composed by Ruth Fazal (see Composer), Oratorio Terezin is a full length work scored for orchestra, childrens choir adult choir and three vocal soloists. Set in the context of the Holocaust, using children's poetry which miraculously survived from the ghetto of Terezin, woven together with passages from the Hebrew scriptures, this piece explores the question so many ask in the face of human suffering: "Can God be found in my place of pain?"

Over 15,000 children passed through Terezin, of whom only one hundred survived.

The poignant innocence of their poetry, set against the cry of 'How long will the wicked exult?' causes us to come face to face with the testing of faith, in the context of unspeakable human suffering and deprivation.

The musical style is both dramatically intense, and sweetly lyrical. The juxtaposition of the children's and adult's voices, along with those of the Voice of the Prophet, the Voice of God and the Voice of Suffering create the tension found in the midst of feelings of rejection and abandonment alongside the hope deep within the human heart that all will be well.

The world premiere of Oratorio Terezin took place on November 1st and 2nd 2003, at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts. A European tour took place in March 2004, visiting Prague, Terezin, Vienna and Bratislava.

A CD of the live performance has been released, as well as a video/dvd of the performances both in Toronto and Europe, with additional footage of Children's artwork from Terezin, and archival film from this period in history.

MONTREAL

May 4, 2008

Places des Arts, Montreal, Quebec
Canada