BETWEEN FIRE & REASON - HASIDIM & MASKILIN IN SONG
Valeria Conte and her musicians lead you between the fire of ecstatic faith and the lamp of reason, where Hasidim and Maskilim once debated whether the Jewish soul is redeemed through sacred fervour or enlightened thought. Through storytelling and satirical Yiddish and Hebrew songs, the performance explores Talmudic texts and Jewish philosophy, with moments of collective singing, laughter, and active audience participation—inviting you to step into a theological dispute born in 18th–19th-century Eastern Europe and still resonant today.
Besides the band leader and project creator, Valeria Conte (clarinet, voice, and storytelling), one of Klezmer's leading figures in Stockholm, and Stian Grimstad at the tuba, the performance includes internationally acclaimed virtuoso musicians as Mitia Khramtsov, at the violin, from the band "Dobranotch" (Russia/Germany), and Yanush Hurwitz, at the accordion, from "Di Gasn Trio" (Israel), who will be visiting Sweden exclusively to take part in this project. The intellectual content of the performance has been developed with the assistance of Dr Yaad Byran (Israel), PhD in Yiddish literature. The project is partially supported by Kulturrådet and Paideia - The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.
Performers:
(IT/SE) Valeria Conte - storytelling, vocal, clarinet, bass clarinet
(RU/DE) Mitia Khramtsov - violin
(IL/DE) Yanush Hurwitz - accordion
(NO/SE) Stian Grimstad - tuba
The project is supported by Kulturrådet (Swedish Arts Council) and Paideia Seed Funding.
Planned Performances for 2026:
May 16th - Stockholm: register here to receive the address 1 day before the event
May 18th - Uppsala: Humanistiska Teater, h. 18:00
May 19th - Göteborg: Nationella Minoriteter Kulturhus, h. 18:00