An eerie possession set to music, dance

In S. Ansky’s classic Yiddish-language play “The Dybbuk,” a young bride awakens on the morning of her wedding to find herself possessed by the ghost of her dead former lover. The dybbuk, a malicious spirit sent from beyond the grave, goes back many centuries in Jewish folklore, but Ansky’s play, premiered in 1920, is the best-known incarnation of this mythological figure.

Now the Israeli composer Ofer BenAmots has transmuted the story into a multimedia chamber opera, which has its first local performance this weekend. It features soprano Ronit Widmann-Levy as the bride, Leah, and the clarinet of instrumentalist Kliment Krylovskiy as the wordless spirit of her beloved. The piece, which features puppetry, dance and music, is directed by Thomas Lindblade.

“The Dybbuk”:

8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24; 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25. $40-$55. Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. (650) 223-8700. http://paloaltojcc.org

Courtesy Ronit Widmann-Levy Soprano Ronit Widmann-Levy plays the bride in “The Dybbuk.”