Performance Information

Characters

Adonai: Mezzo-soprano
The transcendent God of Jews and Christians.

Franziska: Soprano
Widow of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian Christian peasant farmer and conscientious objector beheaded by the Nazis.

Dives: Bass
A citizen of the world, preoccupied with his own well-being, who was blind and deaf to the slaughter of the Jews.

Adam: Tenor
A repentant Everyman, who acknowledges his share of responsibility for the Holocaust and begs Adonai for mercy.

Reba or Jacob: Soprano
A frightened Jewish child.

Hebrew Chorus: SATB
People of faith who draw on the Hebrew scriptures to comment on world events.

Angel Choir: SSA or TTB Gregorian Chant choir
Messengers of Adonai who pray for the dead and console the mourners.

Repentant Nations: TTBB
Peoples of the world who acknowledge their share of responsibility for the Holocaust and beg Adonai for mercy.

Rivka: Actor
A dramatic teller of stories from written accounts of Holocaust survivors.