Classical Interludes: Music for the Barbed Strings

The reign of Stalinism and Nazism in 20th century Europe disrupted and destroyed the lives of millions of people, Jews and non-Jews alike. It is important to remember, however, that even those dark regimes could not suppress human inspiration, and many people continued to create, often under conditions of intolerable suffering. Names of many of them have been undeservedly erased from public memory and remain known only to a narrow circle of experts. “Music for barbed strings” is an attempt to bring to light and to celebrate the music of Jewish composers who lived, worked, and frequently died, under these regimes. The program for this experimental multimedia performance includes the music of Gideon Klein (1919-1945), Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942), Alexander Lokshin (1920-1987), and Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996). The program opens with performance of “Nigun” from “Baal Shem” by Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) and ends with Kiddush Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) in the transcription for piano and violin arranged by Lucien Garban (1877-1959).  The live musical performance is complimented by cinematographic and theatrical elements, providing the context and setting the mood for the music. The program was conceived and is presented by Sergey Deych (piano) and Daniil Deych (cinematography), with the participation of Samuel Katz (violin) and Anya Fidelia (soprano). The banner image is a drawing made by Emo (Emanuel) Groag in Theresienstadt on January 26th, 1944, and it is used with the permission of Sima Shachar, the archival director of Beit Theresienstadt, Israel.

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