 Vinyoles Narcis, 1499 The motet, a polyphonic liturgical song, is based on an original text in Hebrew from the new opera "And the Rat Laughed", and three verses from Psalms.
In the Hebrew poem "Maybe the sun does go up", by Israeli author Nava Semel, the protagonist, hidden in a rat-infested pit during the dark era of the Holocaust, wonders whether there still exists a world outside, or whether all order in the universe may have collapsed as well.
In Psalm 51, the protagonist begs his God for mercy and loving kindness, for the Lord would not want his followers to become an offering, as the Greek word holokauston (Holocaust) – a sacrifice totally burned by fire – implies.
Israeli composer Ella Milch-Sheriff chose to combine the biblical verses with an original aria, into a new, self-contained piece sung in Latin.
The words, performed a cappela, bring to the stage the sheer agony of a "broken and contrite heart" that nonetheless clings to its faith and refuses to let go.
Ella Milch-Sheriff's music is replete with despair, yet uplifting.
Nava Semel's poem was translated into Latin by Prof. Aviad Kleinberg of Tel Aviv University. Both the composer and the author are grateful for his kindness.
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