Concert Review: Ra'ananim

The fact that these men and women are not professional singers made it even more authentic.

By MAXIM REIDER
Ra'ananim Open - Closed - Open Tzavta Tel Aviv January 28 Ra'ananim, an amateur ensemble from Ra'anana, presented Open - Closed - Open, a musical show based on poems by Yehuda Amichai (1924-2000). In his works, Amichai - who wrote in colloquial Hebrew - touched on the most basic aspects of human existence, such as birth, love and death. Artistic director Yair Klinger, who composed the music and staged the show, did justice to the late poet's lines with the help of the ensemble members. The fact that these men and women are not professional singers made it even more authentic. Rather than a concert, it seemed more like a reunion of old friends. The audience was invited to bear witness and to share their life experience - or more precisely, Israeli experience - with all its happy gains and agonizing losses.