The only singing usually heard in the crowded alleyways of the Machane Yehuda fruit and vegetable market is vendors yelling out competing prices for cucumbers. But on a recent afternoon, costumed performers belted out arias from The Elixir of Love by Donizetti, as well as Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
The event was a plug for an upcoming opera festival in Jerusalem, and meant to broaden opera’s reach beyond the well-heeled crowd that frequents the Israeli Opera House in Tel Aviv.
“Opera is the most accessible and wonderful art form that exists,” Michael Eisenstadt, the artistic administrator of the opera told The Media Line. “A lot of people hear the word opera and shriek or turn away because they have all kinds of misconceptions.”
The crowd at the market was appreciative, especially when the soloists brought them into one of the scenes. At one point, Tal Bergman, dressed as a soldier, serenaded an elderly woman, tenderly cradling her head at the end of the song, as many in the crowd smiled.
“Who’s that?” one observer asked her neighbor. “That’s not one of our uniforms,” she added worriedly.
Soloist AllaVasilevitsky moved to Israel seven years ago from a region of the former Soviet Union that borders on China. She says she hopes that more Israelis will learn to like opera.
“We want people to like opera and to connect with it,” she told The Media Line.
The audience seemed appreciative, applauding after each song, and taking selfies with the performers.
“It was beautiful, very beautiful,” “Adar Acrech, a tourist from Canada told The Media Line. “It’s nice to be part of the culture and experience something beautiful.”
Her daughter Gabriella said it
“I loved it,” she breathed, her eyes shining.
Shopper IlanaKattani said she had made a last-minute decision to come to the market, famed for its colorful fruits and vegetables alongside stalls selling nuts, olives, and spices.
“I’m really glad I came today,” she told The Media Line. “I enjoyed it and I think most people did.”
Opera artistic director Eisenstadt said he and other had had some trepidation about bringing the young soloists to the market.
“They just blended with the vendors and with the audience,” he said. “People were a little skeptical, but you could see that once they started singing everyone was captivated.”
Some of the vendors in the market said they felt more captive than captivated by the performance. One owner, who did not want to be quoted, said he couldn’t wait for the performers to move away from his store, and that he had lost business after shoppers turned to other stalls.
But others said they were glad for the diversion.
“This music isn’t my style – I like Mizrachi (Oriental music),” YakirYaacobi said as he reorganized his pistachio nuts to the tune of an Israeli p pop singer. “But people here seemed to enjoy it.”
Some of the vendors in the market did not seem so happy, grumbling that the performance blocked entry to their market stalls, and encouraged shoppers to go elsewhere.
:48 (Gavriella) I loved it because it’s pretty and I just loved it
Michael Eisenstadt – artistic administrator of the Israeli opera
:005 The point of this is to show that opera is the most accessible and wonderful art form that exists. A lot of people they hear the word opera and they shriek, they turn the other side, they have all kinds of misconceptions.
:20 We are opening a three month time, the Jerusalem municipality and the Israeli opera, which will be an annual thing for five eyars and as a trigger we came to the market with six young opera singers, and they’ve blended within the vendors, within the audience and people were a little skeptical but once they started singing, you saw yourself everyone was captivated and that’s the idea to show them, opera is fun opera is great, come yourself and enjoy opera, you’ll never regret it.
Adar Acrech, Canada
:23 It was beautiful, very beautiful, nice to be part of the culture and experience something beautiful.
:48 (Gavriella) I loved it because it’s pretty and I just loved it
Ala Vasilivestsky (came seven years ago)
Signing from TheExilir of Love
:25 Hebrew and voiceover
We want to make opera approachable and for people to connect with it. We want people to learn to like opera.
IlanaKattani
:11 It was very pleasant. It made for a good atmosphere. Peole clapped and it was very nice. I just happened to be here, but I really enjoyed it..
YakirYaacobi – selling nuts
:14 This was something new for me. It’s not exactly my style but for people who like it, why not? There certainly was a big crowd here.
V/O
Soloist Ada Vasilivetsky moved to Israel from the former Soviet Union seven years ago
:25 Hebrew and voiceover
We want to make opera approachable and for people to connect with it. We want people to learn to like opera.
V/O
Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market is known more for vendors singing out prices of vegetables, than for high culture. But shoppers in the market got a dose of culture last week from six young soloists from the Israeli opera.
MICHAEL
:005 The point of this is to show that opera is the most accessible and wonderful art form that exists. A lot of people they hear the word opera and they shriek, they turn the other side, they have all kinds of misconceptions.
V/O He says opera lovers will no longer have to go to Tel Aviv, the home of the Israeli opera.
MICHAEL
:20 We are opening a three month time, the Jerusalem municipality and the Israeli opera, which will be an annual thing for five eyars and as a trigger we came to the market with six young opera singers, and they’ve blended within the vendors, within the audience and people were a little skeptical but once they started singing, you saw yourself everyone was captivated and that’s the idea to show them, opera is fun opera is great, come yourself and enjoy opera, you’ll never regret it.
V/O
The crowd enjoyed the arias from the Elixir of Love by Donizetti and a duet from Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
ADAR
:23 It was beautiful, very beautiful, nice to be part of the culture and experience something beautiful.
:48 (Gavriella) I loved it because it’s pretty and I just loved it.
V/O
Some of the vendors weren’t too happy with the crowd blocking their stalls. But others said they enjoyed the event.
YAKIR
:14 This was something new for me. It’s not exactly my style but for people who like it, why not? There certainly was a big crowd here.
V/O
At the end, there was the popular song Jerusalem of Gold, and the crowd joined in.
For The Media Line, I’m LG in Jerusalem.