‘The Cave’ Scheduled for Center : Opera: Philharmonic Society to sponsor West Coast premiere in 1997.

The West Coast premiere of Steve Reich’s multimedia video opera, “The Cave,” will take place here May 3, 1997, as part of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County’s 1996-97 season. The performance, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, will be repeated May 4, 1997.

The prestigious work, in three acts, incorporates music by minimalist composer Reich plus video and computer-generated images by artist Beryl Korot. The piece takes its title from the Cave of the Patriarchs and explores the Biblical story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael and Isaac from the viewpoints of Israeli Jews, Palestinian Muslims and Americans. Videotaped interviews with members of each group provide the basic material.

“The Cave” is scored for four singers and an ensemble of 13 musicians (three keyboard players, four percussionists, two wind players and a string quartet). Paul Hillier will conduct. The images will be projected on five large screens of Korot’s design.

Composed from 1989 to 1993, “The Cave” was first performed May 15, 1993, at the Vienna Festival. The American premiere took place Oct. 13 that same year at the Brooklyn Academy in New York.

The piece was co-commissioned by the Vienna Festival, the Brooklyn Academy, the Holland Festival, the Hebbel Theater in Berlin, the Festival a’Automme in Paris and the South Bank Center in London. Information: (714) 553-2422.