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By Dan Leone

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WHEN ANNE BLUETHENTHAL started working on Tears of Rock more than a year ago, she could not have anticipated what it would eventually mean to have the work premiere Sept. 20. While the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the performance gave it a special poignancy, the piece – a collaboration between Jewish and Arab artists honoring their separate and common traditions – has to stand on its own. Tears, like all of Bluethenthal's works, is driven by passion. As a performer she is extraordinarily moving to watch – but whatever she wants to tell us she embodies in language that is restrained and formal, sometimes even cool. It's an intriguing combination. It's heartbreaking to realize that the timely Tears, which last fall resonated so strongly, has lost none of its relevance months later. The only thing that has changed is that voices like Bluethenthal's are more necessary than ever. It looks like she may have to keep Tears in repertory for a long time to come. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. (Fri/7, benefit for Middle East Children's Alliance; Sat/8, 7 p.m., vigil held by Women in Black); Sun., 6 p.m., 3316 24th St., S.F. $16-$18. (415) 273-4633. (Rita Felciano)