The Death of Klinghoffer

The opera The Death of Klinghoffer, written by the American composer John Adams based on a libretto by Alice Goodman, was first performed in 1991, in a production by Peter Sellars. This twoact work was `inspired’ by the hijacking of the luxury cruise ship Achile Lauro by four Palestinian terrorists who, before giving themselves up, killed the American tourist Leon Klinghoffer. The opera was controversial, not lastly because of the equal attention given to the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis.Unlike the original, fairly abstractly set performance, Woolcock, with the facilities of the film medium, chose to broaden the context, to increase the realism (the music and singing were recorded live) and to dramatise the actions. For instance, as well as events on the ship lying off the coast of Syria, we see scenes from the past of the protagonists, but also the press conference after the dramatic end.The result is one of the most unusual film versions of an opera and an adventurous play with the possibilities of both art forms. And, in the current political situation, the story is still topical, controversial and probably even more important elucidating.