Eva and the Angel of Death
world premiere by Density512
at the Austin Central Library, April 23-24, 2022
Eva and the Angel of Death, a Holocaust Remembrance opera by composer Thomas B. Yee and librettist Aiden K. Feltkamp, shares the powerful story of Auschwitz survivor Eva Mozes Kor. Eva, along with her twin sister Miriam, survived Dr. Josef Mengele’s medical experiments in Auschwitz. Fifty years after her liberation, Kor returned to Auschwitz to declare her forgiveness. Eva’s story explores the long-lasting psychological impact of trauma, processes of grief, and the potential for healing through forgiveness.
Performance of Eva and the Angel of Death by Density512, Austin, TX. Photos by Jack Kloecker.
Additional Media
Documentary Film
Remembrance and Ritual: Reflections on Eva and the Angel of Death, a documentary film co-directed by Jacob Schnitzer, Thomas Yee, and Farid Zarrinabadi, reveals the creative process and artistic intentions behind Density512’s world premiere performance of the Holocaust remembrance opera Eva and the Angel of Death, previously scheduled for April 2020 and postponed by the coronavirus pandemic. The documentary features exclusive discussions with composer Thomas B. Yee, librettist Aiden K. Feltkamp, mezzo-soprano Page Stephens (Eva Mozes Kor), baritone Jawan Cliff-Morris (Dr. Josef Mengele), soprano Julia Taylor (Miriam Mozes and Dorothy), and conductor Jacob Schnitzer, along with recorded excerpts from the opera and archival footage of Holocaust survivor and educator Eva Mozes Kor.
Arias from Eva and the Angel of Death
A miniature of key dramatic moments from the Holocaust remembrance opera Eva and the Angel of Death (by Thomas B. Yee and Aiden K. Feltkamp) which portrays the true story of Eva Mozes Kor, a child survivor of the Holocaust and Josef Mengele’s medical experiments. Fifty years after her liberation, Kor returned to Auschwitz to announce her message of forgiveness, peace, hope, and healing. The EP features musical portraits of Eva Mozes Kor (played by Page Stephens), Dr. Josef Mengele (Jawan Cliff-Morris), and Eva’s liberation from Auschwitz with her twin sister Miriam (Julia Snyder Taylor); after an interlude for reflecting upon the topic of forgiveness, the EP concludes with real-world archival audio of Eva Mozes Kor delivering her Declaration of Amnesty at Auschwitz on the Fiftieth Anniversary of her liberation — a message of peace, hope and healing.
1. The Smoke Curls into the Sky
Page Stephens as Eva Mozes Kor
2. The Mud-Scrabbling Masses
Jawan Cliff-Morris as Dr. Josef Mengele
3. We are Free
Page Stephens as Eva Mozes Kor & Julia Snyder Taylor as Miriam Mozes
4. Interlude: Whether to Forgive
Q Langman, piano
5. Declaration of Amnesty: Auschwitz, 50 Years Later
Spoken by Eva Mozes Kor at Auschwitz, January 27, 1995 (archival audio)
from the Holocaust remembrance opera
Eva and the Angel of Death (2020)
by Thomas B. Yee, composer
and Aiden K. Feltkamp, librettist
released January 27, 2022
in honor of the 77th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz
