The opera “Hatuey: Memory of Fire” composed by Frank London of The Klezmatics is based on a 1931 epic poem written in Yiddish by Oscar Pinis, a Ukrainian refugee who fled to Cuba and edited a Yiddish newspaper there.

According to a telephone interview that Frank London gave to The New York Times magazine, when he discovered the poem he immediately decided that "it had to be an opera". While describing how the score weaves together several of his musical passions, Frank London mentions “It’s quite a story — it kind of rocks my world”.

The opera is going to make its premiere at Theatro Arenal in Havana on the 3rd of March 2017.

Frank London has been engaged in all sorts of projects around the Klezmer nucleus from the very beginning, with his Klezmer Brass Allstars until now. And given the facts, what we can say for sure is that his ever-prolific portfolio of activities will definitely keep on growing!

Click here to see Frank London's discography on Piranha Records.

© photo: Michael Mann

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