Music: Aviram Freiberg

Libretto: Ronen Moldovan

Characters

Yoni-patient in comma, tenor

Avigail-Yoni’s nurse and David’s wife, soprano

David-Yoni’s army friend and Avigail’s husband, baritone

Malka-Yoni’s mother, mezzo-soprano

Assi-an army friend of Yoni and David, tenor

“Ketem” (Stain), a story within a story, made up of prologue, three scenes, and epilogue, is based on a short story by Ronen Moldovan. It takes place on New Year’s Eve of the year 2000, in the hospital where Yoni, who has been in a comma for over ten years, is being cared for.

Synopsis

During his army service over ten years ago, David was in love with Yoni, but Yoni, for his part, was in love with Assi.  Yoni tried to commit suicide as his love for Assi was not returned. The circumstances of his attempted suicide were kept secret by David and Assi.   While Yoni was comatose as a result of the attempted suicide, Assi tried to murder Yoni to end his misery, and served time in prison for it.

As the curtain opens, David is sitting at his writing desk reading from a story he is writing about Yoni. An abrupt transition takes us into the opera through Yoni’s dream, where he calls his loved ones to join him, in vain, for they cannot hear him because he has turned into a tree. When he awakes, he feels himself in a cage, constrained to his lifeless body.

Avigail insists on having a new year’s party in Yoni’s room despite Malka’s disapproval as she feels a celebration inappropriate under the circumstances. Assi, wanting revenge on David and Avigail who he feels are responsible for him serving time in prison, confronts them with information from Yoni’s diary, revealing David’s latent homosexuality.

Now that all secrets are revealed, Yoni chooses to die, thinking his death will transform the lives of those around him for the better. But his sacrifice is in vain. None of them is willing to take responsibility for their lives. They continue living lies.

In the epilogue, David is back at his desk, continuing to read from the story he has written. Avigail, Assi, and Yoni (who is supposed to be dead) enter.

Was the entire story fiction?

The moral of the opera is that one should be true to oneself, and live accordingly, without secrets and lies.

 

Notes

All characters surround Yoni at his bedside throughout the opera and their lives revolve around him. Malka, Yoni’s mother, is consumed with self pity, and is frustrated with her married life. Avigail, Yoni’s nurse and David’s wife is also experiencing problems with her husband, David. As her marriage is falling apart, she develops feelings for her patients, Yoni, in particular. David is motivated by obligation to his wife, Avigail, and son, and disregards his owns feelings, and desires.

Despite his medical condition, Yoni is selectively aware of his surroundings, although the other characters do not know it.

All character’s names, with the exception of Malka, are from the biblical story of King David:

Yoni – short for Jonathan

Avigail – Abigail, one of King David’s wives

David – after King David

Assi – short for Assail, one of David’s warriors

This is intentional in order to demonstrate the similarities between David and Yoni’s relationship and King David and Jonathan’s in the biblical story.

All roles are written in arioso style (between recitative and aria).

The music is continuous, except for Avigail’s aria in the second scene.

The dramatic and emotional content of the libretto determines the musical means of expression chosen and, as a result, there are a variety of musical styles in the piece, while leitmotifs unify it.