EAST WEST STREET – A Powerful Stage Work On Themes Of Global Justice And Fate Comes to 92Y

92Y's Tisch Center for the Arts is proud to launch its 2018/19 concert season with a month of singularly compelling programs. Of special note, October brings the opening installment of Inflection, an adventurous new series that gathers artists from various disciplines - including music, literature, visual art, and dance - to explore a creative project from multiple perspectives. Says Hanna Arie-Gaifman, Director of the Tisch Center, "I am delighted to introduce you to our revolutionary 2018/19 Performing Arts season. From multidisciplinary programs that deal with complex issues of our day, to deeply-felt recitals from some of the greatest artists of our time, this relevant and vibrant series of concerts promises to engage our hearts, our minds, and our souls. I look forward to welcoming you to 92Y in the coming months!"

Sunday, October 14 (3 pm) brings the North American premiere of East West Street: A Song of Good and Evil, the first event in 92Y's new interdisciplinary Inflection series. East West Street was created by award-winning author/human-rights lawyer Philippe Sands, who also narrates. The multimedia work features pianists Emanuel Ax and Guillaume de Chassy; Metropolitan Opera bass-baritone Laurent Naouri, who chose the musical selections; and co-narrator Katja Riemann. Nina Brazier is the stage director.

Philippe Sands is recognized as one of the world's leading human rights lawyers, often involved in cases on crimes against humanity and genocide. He has appeared before most international courts and tribunals around the world, including the World Court and the International Criminal Court of Justice. Along with East West Street (2014), his books include Lawless World (2005) and Torture Team (2008). His articles have appeared in many publications, including Vanity Fair, the New York Review of Books, the Financial Times and the Guardian.

East West Street is by turns a reading, a drama and a semi-staged concert. Drawing on words from Sands' book, it explores the connections between three men whose lives became intertwined during the Nuremberg trials: Hersch Lauterpacht, who introduced the concepts of crimes against humanity and war crimes into international law; Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term "genocide"; and Hans Frank, Hitler's personal lawyer and a leading architect of the Final Solution.

The musical selections include Bach, Beethoven, Busoni, Fréderic Chaslin, Leonard Cohen, Paul Misraki, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel. Notes Sands, "Laurent Naouri's beautiful, eclectic selection of music drawn from the lives of the three men is an integral part of the performance. It draws us right into the heart of the stories while allowing us our own moments of solace."

How do people at the extremes of good and evil find solace in the same Bach aria? How can a nation's leaders be brought to justice? In the face of atrocity, where does our common humanity lie? East West Street is a powerful meditation on moral accountability, along with the twists of fate that shape our lives.

To date, East West Street has been presented in Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UK. It was praised by The Financial Times as "amazing;" Swedish Radio described it as "gripping" and the BBC called it "brilliant."

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Sunday, October 14 (3 pm)

East West Street: A Song of Good and Evil

Inflection

Laurent Naouri, bass-baritone

Emanuel Ax, piano

Guillaume de Chassy, piano

Katja Riemann, narrator

Philippe Sands, narrator

Nina Brazier, director

Tickets from $48

ARTIST BIOS | EVENT + TICKETS

92nd Street Y is a center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. Founded in 1874, it seeks to create, provide and disseminate programs of distinction that foster the physical and mental growth of people throughout their lives. From its New York headquarters, 92Y offers thousands of programs, including talks with leaders in every field; outstanding performing, visual and literary arts presentations and classes; fitness and sports programs; and activities for children and families. 92Y also creates community far beyond its walls, bringing people from all over the world together through innovations like the award-winning #GivingTuesday and the Social Good Summit. Along with live webcasts and a growing online archive of free talks and performances, these breakthroughs are transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92Y's programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions and ethnicities.

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