Once, I happened to be in Heidelberg on Nov 10 when famous Klezmer musician Giora Feidman attended the memorial service. He stood up and took his clarinet. I think I expected him to play some mournful Klezmer niggun, however, he sounded it three times like a shofar, and that was it. That was all this Jewish musician had to say, and it was enough to understand.
A few years later, I attended a memorial recital in a church on the eve of Reichsprogromnacht. They had some movements from Couperin's Lecons de tenebre, interrupted by selected Auschwitz Kinderlieder. The point was that glaring contrast of absolutely beautiful music and words of unspeakable horror. (BTW, the singer omitted Couperin's traditional anti-Judaic refrain, Jerusalem convertere ad Dominum.) I feel that in our country you simply cannot (or, rather, I cannot) hold memorial services (I take it that there will be clerics) on that day without bearing on Jewish suffering. You cannot simply decorate a meeting. Perhaps e. g. Newsidler's der Juden tanz (played very, very slowly) will be in place better than other rather unrelated pieces of music. > At 01:42 AM 8/7/04 +0200, Thomas Schall wrote: > >I have accepted to play again to a service/official event (politicians > >as well as priests will participate) in remembrance of the so-called > >"Reichsprogromnacht" when the Nazis the first time showed their ugly > >grimace to a wider public. > > > >My question would be for ideas what to play - any suggestions? -- Best, Mathias Mathias Roesel, Grosze Annenstrasze 5, 28199 Bremen, Deutschland/ Germany, T/F +49 - 421 - 165 49 97, Fax +49 1805 060 334 480 67, E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Gesucht: Das Beste für die Stadt" Ökumenischer Stadtkirchentag vom 19. bis 26. September 2004 in Bremen ! http://www.stadtkirchentag-bremen.de
