The Bucharest National Opera presents the world premiere of Eichmann’s Trial, an opera by Gil Shohat, on Sunday, March 30, 2025, at 6:30 PM. The libretto (in two acts and 66 scenes) is based on the eponymous play by Israeli playwright Motti Lerner. The production is directed by Erwin Șimșensohn, with set design by Dragoș Buhagiar and musical direction by Daniel Jinga. The opera features the Bucharest National Opera Orchestra and Choir. The initiator and supporter of Eichmann’s Trial in Romania is Mrs. Tova Ben-Nun Cherbis, President and Founder of the Magna Cum Laude-Reut Foundation and the Laude-Reut Educational Complex.
Both the dramatic and operatic versions focus on the trial of the infamous Nazi Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Eichmann, the main architect of the Final Solution in Europe, which led to the extermination of six million Jews between 1940 and 1945—a historical tragedy known as the Holocaust. In 1945, Eichmann evaded prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials and fled to South America under a false identity. He was tracked down by Israeli security services in 1960, brought to Jerusalem, and tried in 1961. In 1962, he was sentenced to death by hanging for crimes against the Jewish people and crimes against humanity.
The role of Adolf Eichmann will be performed by baritone Alexandru Constantin, currently a soloist with the Bucharest and Iași National Operas. He has previously been a soloist at the Comic Opera for Children and the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theater in Bucharest. A graduate of the Religious Music Department of the Faculty of Theology at Ovidius University in Constanța, he later completed a master’s degree at the National University of Music in Bucharest. Alexandru Constantin has an extensive operatic repertoire, including roles in Un Ballo in Maschera, Madama Butterfly, The Tales of Hoffmann, Don Pasquale, Carmen, Lucia di Lammermoor, Il Trovatore, La Bohème, Faust, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, La Traviata, Pagliacci, and Tosca. He has also performed in vocal-symphonic works such as Carmina Burana, Die Erste Walpurgisnacht, and Requiems by Fauré and Donizetti.
More than an opera, Eichmann’s Trial is a project of historical education and social awareness—an essential function of major cultural institutions worldwide, especially in times of moral and political turmoil. The Bucharest National Opera remains committed to its mission of upholding the highest moral and political values—freedom, dignity, democracy, and the right to pursue happiness without discrimination. Through various artistic projects, the institution ensures that these ideals resonate with the Romanian public.
A significant part of the drama unfolds in the courtroom, depicting intense confrontations between the prosecution, defense, and the accused. Harrowing testimonies reveal Nazi policies against Jews, including ghettoization, mass executions, and extermination camps.
This remarkable cultural project aims to preserve the memory of the past while inspiring future generations toward empathy, tolerance, and social responsibility. It serves as a crucial historical lesson, essential for the healthy evolution of society.
Regarding the music of Eichmann’s Trial, composer Gil Shohat stated:
“This is the ninth opera commission I have received, and probably the most ambitious work I have ever written. From the beginning, I felt a deep honor in composing an opera for Romania’s National Opera, a country with an extraordinary musical tradition and home to some of the greatest musicians of our time. Delving into the Holocaust theme was particularly moving, as I am a descendant of Holocaust survivors from Poland. I intentionally composed all the opera’s melodies as original pieces. While inspired by Jewish musical traditions, the music remains unique and includes influences from various religions and cultures, as I view the Holocaust as a universal tragedy, not solely a Jewish one. Additionally, I employed a distinctive technique that blends a regenerative theatrical recitative, orchestrally accompanied, with the traditional bel canto style. This makes the vocal execution more challenging than in other operas.”
Tickets are available at http://tickets.operanb.ro and at the Bucharest National Opera Box Office.