Cantor Netanel Hershtik made his operatic debut last week in the world premiere of Na’ama Zisser’s Mamzer Bastard. The opera was presented by The Royal Opera House, and is a co-commission with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, in association with Hackney Empire. It is the first time in history for an opera to feature a Cantorial role.
Reviews praised Hershtik’s performance. According to The Guardian, “…Most striking of all, perhaps, is cantor Netanel Hershtik, from New York’s Hampton Synagogue, superb in his vocal control, and mesmerizing whenever he sings.” The Independent said, “The music becomes beautiful when the cantor (Netanel Hershtik) sings out with ringing grace…”
Mamzer Bastard takes place within the Orthodox Jewish community, and merges Zisser’s own musical idiom with the Jewish Cantorial style of the 20th century. Through its setting within the New York Hasidic community in the 1970s, the opera explores how much a person will sacrifice for their religion, their community and other people’s happiness. It is the culmination of Zisser’s three-year Doctoral Composer-in-Residence at the Guildhall School in association with The Royal Opera and features a libretto by Rachel Zisser and Samantha Newton.
How did Hershtik come to appear in this opera? “I was recommended to Na’ama Zisser by my friend, Meir Briskman, a brilliant conductor in his own right,” Hershtik told the Jewish Link. “She interviewed me and auditioned me singing Pinchik’s famous Rozo Deshabos—which I sing in the opera. She then gave my name to the Opera House which sent their artistic director to New York for one day to audition me at the Metropolitan Opera. The rest is history…”
Had he ever dreamed or considered the possibility of performing in an opera or thought about the similarities between Cantorial and operatic music and though, I could do that? “I love opera. I listen to it quite frequently, and was raised in an opera-loving environment. In general, my voice training is based on the Italian ‘bel canto’ technique in which I regularly sing and work on operatic/classical repertoire” Hershtik shared. “However, even if I thought about performing in an opera or a musical, I knew it wouldn’t go hand in hand with my Halacha Observation standards. This opera changed the game. It was ‘tailored’ by Na’ama Zisser to not include a duet with a woman, not to have any inappropriate scenes, and of course, no Shabbat performances. Although, I regularly perform in concerts with similar musical accompaniment, it was different. Here I was working with a cast, director and a storyline which requires acting and costumes. The standards of production are very high at the Royal Opera House with an incredible level of precision and attention to details required from each cast member. I have never rehearsed so much in my life for a single project as much as I did for this opera.”
Hershtik further reflected on his role “Within communities such as the New York Hasidic community that Mamzer Bastard is set in, there are two types of communication—one among people and the other between people and God. Na’ama Zisser brilliantly portrays these two concepts by incorporating both the operatic style and Cantorial music into her score. In my role as David, I represent the people’s communication with God, just as a Cantor does at a synagogue. As Chief Cantor of the Hampton Synagogue in New York, this role comes naturally to me and allows me to not simply perform, but rather express my heart, soul and faith through music. It’s very exciting to be the first Cantor to bring this ancient and sacred music to the operatic form.”
Zisser came up with the idea to write an opera that would feature Cantorial music, which hasn’t been done before. “Unlike Christian music, Cantorial music never made a successful transition outside of the religious context. Na’ama wanted to give it the right place and expose it to a new audience, said Zisser.
Hershtik began singing as a child, appearing regularly as a soloist in the Jerusalem Great Synagogue with his father, Cantor Naftali Hershtik. At the age of seven, he toured with his father in Australia, throughout America and Europe. Today Hershtik lives in Teaneck, is Chief Cantor of the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, New York and has previously performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and many of the world’s leading choirs, and sung at the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Vienna Konzerthaus, Berlin Philharmonie, Sydney Opera House and the Casino de Paris, among other leading venues.
The Royal Opera, under the artistic direction of Antonio Pappano, Music Director, and Oliver Mears, Director of Opera, is one of the world’s leading opera companies. The Royal Opera presents a wide-ranging program, which includes the regular commissioning of new operas, both in the iconic Covent Garden theatre in London and also streamed and relayed live around the world as part of the ROH Live Cinema Season.
By Sara Kosowsky Gross
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