United Nations Holocaust Memorial Ceremony and Concert - 27 January 2010 - Zamirchor
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United Nations
Holocaust Memorial
Ceremony and Concert
27 January 20102010 Holocaust Remembrance Activities
United Nations Headquarters, New York
The 2010 observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of
the Holocaust will focus on a central theme that emphasizes the legacy that survivors will pass
on to succeeding generations. The theme “Holocaust Remembrance: the Legacy of Survival”
International Day of Commemoration
highlights the moral messages expressed by those who have suffered from Nazi persecution
and the denial of basic human rights. As there are fewer survivors to tell their stories today, it is
in Memory of the
of primary importance that these universal lessons be shared with all fellow human beings. Only
this will ensure that their legacy will continue to promote respect for diversity and human rights Victims of the Holocaust
for generations to come. Holocaust remembrance activities will also be organized by the global
network of United Nations Information Centres. The week-long observance at United Nations
Headquarters in New York will include the following events and partners:
Memorial Ceremony and Concert
25 January
Exhibit Opening:
“Generations: Survival and the Legacy of Hope”
Conscience Display; UK Holocaust Centre; USC Shoah Foundation Institute for
Visual History and Education; San Diego Jewish Cultural Centre
United Nations Public Lobby
6:00 p.m.
26 January
Exhibit Opening:
“Architecture of Murder: The Auschwitz-Birkenau Blueprints”
American & International Societies for Yad Vashem; Yad Vashem - The Holocaust Martyrs’
and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority,
United Nations Public Lobby Nürnberg Philharmonic
6:00 p.m.
27 January – Holocaust Remembrance Day
Panel Discussion:
Bayreuth Zamir Choir
“Interreligious Responses to the Holocaust: 65 Years after Liberation”
B’nai B’rith International, Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations
Temporary North Lawn Building, Conference Room 2 Jerusalem Oratorio Chamber Choir
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Holocaust Memorial Ceremony and Concert Issak Tavior, Conductor
General Assembly Hall
Government of Germany, Staatstheater Nürnberg
7:00 p.m. Professor Nechama Tec, Keynote Speaker
28 January
DPI-NGO briefing on the legacy of the Jews in Morocco
Temporary North Lawn Building, Conference Room 3
10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 27 January 2010
.
Film screening of “Defiance”
United Nations General Assembly Hall
Paramount Pictures, Permanent Mission of the United States to the United Nations 7:00 p.m.
Temporary North Lawn Building, Conference Room 3
6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
For more details please visit: www.un.org/holocaustremembranceProgramme
Mr. Kiyotaka Akasaka Professor Nechama Tec, Keynote Speaker
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of Connecticut, Stamford;
Public Information Holocaust survivor and scholar; author of eight books,
including Defiance
Message from Mr. Ban Ki-moon
United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Roland Tec
Co-producer of the film Defiance
Message from the President of the sixty-fourth session
of the General Assembly Mount Sinai Cantata
delivered by the Vice President III. Shabbat Kodesh
V. See the Voices
H.E. Ambassador Peter Wittig VI. And Obey We Shall
Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations Issak Tavior
Barbara Baier, soprano
The Vision of the Dry Bones Christine Hübner-Hart, alto
Issak Tavior (b. 1943)
James Clark, tenor Mr. Andrzej Mirga
Senior Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues
H.E. Yuli-Yoel Edelstein Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Minister of Information and Diaspora, Israel Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 Overture to the Tragedy, Egmont, Op. 84
V. Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Barbara Baier, soprano Mr. Zev Salomon Muller
Chief Cantor of the West Side Institutional Synagogue
Suite modale Ani Ma’amin (“I Believe”)
No. 1 Moderato El Maleh Rachamim (“Merciful God”)
No. 2 L’istesso tempo
No. 3 Allegro giocoso The Last Days To Come*
Ernst Bloch (1880-1959) Issak Tavior
H.E. Ambassador Martin Ney, flute Barbara Baier, soprano
Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations Christine Hübner-Hart, alto
James Clark, tenor
Haggi Goren, speaker
* World premiere performance.
2 3The Holocaust and the United Nations
Outreach Programme Outreach Division,
experiences of the survivors, the Programme shows that the failure of
United Nations Department of Public Information mankind to prevent the Holocaust has direct relevance to the dangers
of genocide that persist today. The International Day is also widely ob-
On 1 November 2005, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly
served with ceremonies and activities at UN offices around the world.
adopted resolution 60/7 designating 27 January as the annual In-
ternational Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the
Educational Materials
Holocaust. The General Assembly also requested the Secretary-
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme sup-
General to establish a programme of outreach on the subject of the
ports the development of educational curricula by Member States
“Holocaust and the United Nations” to mobilize civil society for
on the lessons of the Holocaust in a number of ways. In co-operation
Holocaust remembrance and education, and tohelp prevent future acts
with leading institutions on Holocaust studies, the Programme has
of genocide. Since its establishment in January 2006, the Department
developed a wide variety of educational tools. Its latest publication, the
of Public Information’s (DPI) Holocaust and the United Nations
Discussion Papers Journal, provides a forum for scholars and experts on
Outreach Programme has developed a multi-faceted programme, built an
Holocaust and genocide from around the world to raise issues for
international network of civil society groups, collaborated with world-
debate and further study amongst secondary and university students.
renowned institutions and garnered the support of expertsin the field of
The Programme has also developed the Footprints for Hope initiative,
Holocaust and genocide studies.
which includes a short educational film title “Footprints: Discover-
ing the Holocaust through Historical Artefacts”, a power-point pre-
These partnerships have resulted in the increase of multiple redissemi-
sentation and a lesson plan. These tools are designed for educators
nators of the programme’s key messages: honour the memory of the
to introduce and explore the history of the Holocaust with younger
victims; respect the dignity and worth of each individual; celebrate
students (age 10 and up) through a discussion about an historical arte-
diversity; protect human rights; combat Holocaust denial; and learn from
fact, a child’s shoe found at Auschwitz-Birkenau. In addition, the Pro-
the circumstances that led to and perpetuated the Holocaust, which
gramme’s gateway website (www.un.org/holocaustrememberence)
remain valuable lessons for the prevention of genocide. The Holocaust
also offers a number of innovative online information products and
serves as a warning of the consequences of anti-Semitism and other
teaching resources on the Holocaust and prevention of genocide such
forms of discrimination today.
as: teachers guidelines, events webcasts, the Electronic Notes for
Speakers (an online pedagogical tool that provides concise, detailed
Through the Programme, DPI is also a permanent observer to the
information on the history and human experience of the Holo-
Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education,
caust), etc. Some of these tools are also available through Youtube
Remembrance and Research, which was commended by the General
and Wikipedia.
Assembly for its work.
Panel discussions
The International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims
Since 2006, the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme
of the Holocaust
has organized five interactive roundtable discussions designed to
The International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims
promote awareness of the lessons of the Holocaust and their
of the Holocaust is observed each year on 27 January in the General
implications for combating genocide today. By examining best
Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters with a memorial
practices to fight hatred, racism and Holocaust denial, the discussions
ceremony on the theme “Remembrance and Beyond”, which serves
aimed to mobilize civil society and the international community to help
to highlight and connect the main two elements of the Programme –
prevent mass violence. Held at United Nations Headquarters in New
remembering the victims of the Holcaust and helping to prevent future
York, the seminars are attended by members of the diplomatic commu-
acts of genocide. As a counterpoint to Nazi ideology, which sought to strip
nity, non-governmental organizations, students, educators and United
victims of their humanness, remembrance focuses on the individual
Nations staff members. These evetns are also webcast and available
and works to give each person a face, a name and a story. Through the
on the Programme’s website.
recollection of the journeys of those who perished and by sharing the
4 5Performer Biographies
United Nations Information Centres Issak Tavior, conductor and composer
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme provides the The European press has described Issak Tavior’s music as lyrical and
global network of United Nations information centres (UNICs), services dynamic – “dance passages are alternately spiked with rhythmic chant-
(UNIS) and offices (UNOs) in over 60 countries with guidelines on Holocaust ing;” “It resounds with impressive, powerful and dramatic changes;”
Remembrance Day, teaching materials on the Holocaust and its underlying “…surprise after surprise;” “…jumping over borders;” “…without limit.”
issues, and ongoing guidance on related topics to promote the lessons of
the Holocaust in order to help to prevent future acts of genocide. Mr. Tavior’s rich experience relates to various forms of musical
expression as a concert pianist, conductor and composer. Born in
In 2007 and 2008, the Programme also partnered with Holocaust institu- Haifa, Israel, Tavior graduated from the Israel Music Academy in
tions to organize four training seminars designed to enhance the knowl- Tel Aviv studying with Ilona Vince and Jerome Leventhal and later in London
edge and skills of local level staff at United Nations Information Centres with Peter Fuchtwanger and in Geneva with Professor Hildebrant. As
worldwide. The purpose of these seminars was to better equip the infor- a conductor, Mr. Tavior studied with Noam Shariff in Israel, with
mation officers in the field to raise public awareness about the Holocaust Franco Ferrara in Sienna Italy, with Hans Swarovsky in Vienna and with
and its relevance today, and apply the principles they learn to outreach Milan Horvat in Salzberg.Although resident in Israel, Issak Tavior
activities that promote respect for diversity and human rights. has performed mainly on European radio stations and with
European orchestras as a conductor and concert pianist. In 1977,
Exhibitions he formed the Galillee Symphony Orchestra, and since 1980 has been
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme helps to a guest lecturer on Music History at Haifa University.
facilitate the organization of temporary exhibitions around 27 Janu-
ary on Holocaust related topics. In addition, in 2008, the Programme Mr. Tavior’s piano recitals at his home studio in Hemdat Yamim,
unveiled a permanent exhibit on the “Holocaust and the United Nations” in the Upper Galillee region of Israel, have attained an international
on the guided tours route at United Nations Headquarters. The exhibit, reputation as a cultural attraction for thousands of tourists and visitors
developed with the assistance Holocaust scholars from leading institutions, from all over the world.
presents an overview of the tragedy in the context of World War II and the
founding of the United Nations. It is seen by the 400,000 visitors who visit In 2005, together with soprano singer, Barbara Baier, Mr. Tavior established
United Nations Headquarters annually. the Zamir Choir in Bayreuth, Germany which performs biblical concerts
together with the Jerusalem Oratorio Chamber Choir. On the occasion
Film Screenings of Israel’s 60th Anniversary in 2008, he conducted performances of his
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme has screened biblical compositions in Germany with the Nüremberg Philharmonic
a dozen documentary and feature films on the Holocaust and the Orchestra and the Hofer Symphony Orchestra.
prevention of genocides. Many of the films have been screened at
United Nations Headquarters in New York and several United Nations H.E. Ambassador Martin Ney, flute
Information Centres around the world. Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations
Before receiving two law degrees from Wuerzburg University and a
For more information on the Holocaust and the United Nations Masters degree in politics and economics from Oxford University,
Outreach Programme, please visit: www.un.org/holocaustremembrance Ambassador Ney served as the co-principle flautist with the First
or email: holocaustremembrance@un.org German Airforce Band in Munich from 1974 until 1976. During this period,
Ambassador Ney occasionally played at the Munich Opera (Staatstheater
am Gaertnerplatz) as a second flautist. Despite taking on a professional
career outside the music world, he continued to pursue his love of
music For a year he studied with the acclaimed flautist Maxence Larrieux
6 7at the Geneva Conservatory. During his diplomatic postings Ambassador James Clark, tenor
Ney has had the opportunity to play with many orchestras including the James Clark was born in Syracuse, New York and grew up in
Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Levine School New Jersey. He began his musical studies at the age of five with
of Music (Washington DC), the Sarajewo Symphony Orchestra, and with piano and later violin. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Montclair State
Japanese professional musicians in Tokyo. Since 2005 he has repeat- College with an instrumental emphasis, served in Vietnam as a US
edly performed as a soloist with the “Frankfurter Solisten” (the chambre Marine Corps infantry officer and then continued his studies at the
orchestra of the Frankfurt Opera). Two of those concerts have been Manhattan School of Music receiving a Master of Music degree
recorded on CD. When Pope Benedict XVI visited the UN in 2008 he had in opera and voice. He made his professional singing debut at
the privilege to perform a private concert for his Holiness. Carnegie Hall in Mahler’s Eighth Symphony and was then a soloist with
the New York City Opera coming to Germany in 1991. Mr. Clark has sung
Barbara Baier, soprano over 35 major tenor operatic roles ranging from Edgardo in Donizetti’s
Barbara Baier is a native of Bayreuth, Germany and regularly performs in “Lucia di Lammermoor” to Erik in Wagner’s “Fliegender Holländer”
opera, operetta as well as musicals. Following her vocal studies at the and numerous concerts in the USA, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic,
Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, she was a soloist at many German Romania and Switzerland. He makes his home in Hof, Germany where
theaters, including engagements in Dortmund, Bremen and at the he has lived since 1992.
Festspielhaus in Bayreuth. Additional engagements have included
performances in Helsinki, St. Moritz, and Vienna. Barbara Baier is a Nürnberg Philharmonic
founder and music director of the Bayreuth Zamir Choir. (Zamirchor) The Nürnberg Philharmonic is one of the most important orches-
In addition to the Zamirchor, she teaches extensively, and in 2004, she tras in Bavaria and the Nürnberg metropolitan region and is involved
accepted a lectureship in voice at the University of Bayreuth. She has in a wide variety of concert activities. The Nürnberg Philharmonic is
also taught at the Municipal School of Music in Kulmbach. Her students the resident orchestra of the State Theatre Nürnberg; it also gives the
have achieved many successes including regional and national honors, Philharmonic Concerts, a series of symphony concerts with eight dif-
including the prestigious “Youth Makes Music” competition, and many are ferent programmes per season and performs regularly in other places.
members of the Zamirchor. Since 1994, working independently under the name “Philharmonie”, they
have run a successful series of chamber concerts. In 1981 the Nürnberg
Christina Hübner-Hart, alto Philharmonic were granted Category A status for classical orchestras
Christine Hübner-Hart, a native of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, did not in Germany.
choose the classical way to be a singer; she first studied and graduated
with a degree in social pedagogy. Ms. Hübner-Hart then studied voice The history of the Nürnberg Philharmonic can be traced back to the
at the Conservatory for Music in Wurzburg with Professor Herbert Roth. Council of the Imperial City first mentioned in 1377 (known as
After graduating with honors, she attended various master classes with “Musikchor” from 1806). In the Baroque period Nürnberg was one of the
renowned artists and teachers and has been successful in performing lie- centers of German opera, a tradition only recently rediscovered. From 1801
der and oratorio at home and abroad. In addition to her career as a soloist, the musicians performed regularly in productions of the new “Nürnberg
Miss Hübner-Hart teaches voice and rhetoric. National Theatre” founded by Leonhard Aurnheimer. In 1833 the
orchestra moved into the newly-built City Theatre at Lorenzer Platz.
After the opening in 1905 of the new Opera House, the orches-
tra of the City Theatre was merged with the private “Philharmonic
Orchestra” founded by Hans Winderstein in 1880. This was the birth of the
Nürnberg Philharmonic in it’s present form. Initially, the orchestra com-
prised 110 musicians, which number was reduced during the economic
8 9crises of the Weimar Republic. The Philharmonic Concerts which since Bayreuth Zamir Choir
the 1960s have taken place in the Meistersingerhalle date back to this Formed in 2005 in Bayreuth by Issak Tavior and Barbara Baier, the
founding period. In 1944 the Nürnberg Theatre was closed and the Zamirchor (Bayreuth Zamir Choir) began as an interesting combi-
musicians conscripted for military service. nation of Germans singing music in Hebrew by an Israeli composer.
In Hebrew, the name “zamir” means “nightingale” and the 40
In 1946/47 a new era began under artistic director Karl Pschigode and members of the chorus quickly learned the pronunciation of Maestro
general musical director (GMD) Alfons Dressel. In 1968 the status of the Tavior’s works. The choir consists of both professional and amateur
orchestra changed: having been attached exclusively to the theatre it singers from twelve to seventy years old.
now became the “Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Nuremberg”. As
GMD from 1965-1988 Hans Gierster was responsible for much-acclaimed Following their first successful concert on Holocaust Memorial Day in
productions such as “Moses und Aaron” (Arnold Schönberg), “Die Soldaten” May of 2005, the Zamirchor was formally organized in April of 2006.
(Bernd Alois Zimmermann), “Träume” (Isang Yun) or Luigi Nono´s They perform a wide variety of repertoire including the works by Mozart,
“Intolleranza 70“. From 1988-1992 GMD Christian Thielemann placed par- Mendelssohn, Rossini, and Purcell. In May of 2009, the choir was
ticular emphasis on works of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his featured in the semi-opera “Markgräfin Wilhemine“ composed by Martin
successor Eberhard Kloke on the second Viennese school and contempo- Gräbner in a world premier at the Markgräflichen Theater in Bayreuth.
rary music. In 1998 Philippe Auguin became GMD of the City of Nürnberg. The three compositions by Issak Tavior heard tonight were first
Under his direction the orchestra played the complete cycle of Wagner´s performed in the summer of 2007 in Switzerland with the intent of
“Ring” for the first time in almost 50 years. Chief conductor of the combining various musical traditions to maintain a harmonious dialogue
Nürnberg Philharmonic and of the State Theatre Nürnberg since 2006 is between the East and West, Jews and Germans.
Christof Perick.
Jerusalem Oratorio Chamber Choir
For many years the orchestra has served the cause of new compositions The Jerusalem Oratorio Chamber Choir consists of 28 singers and is
in performance and in both concert halls and opera houses has premiered the representative body of Jerusalem Oratorio, the largest choral en-
countless works by composers such as Boris Blacher, Hans Werner terprise in Israel. The chamber choir has represented Israel in sev-
Henze, Paul Hindemith, Wilhelm Killmayer, György Ligeti, Krzysztof eral international festivals and on prestigious stages, including the
Penderecki, Aribert Reimann, Isang Yun, Hans Zender oder Bernd Alois International Festival for Liturgical Music in Valencia, Spain (1999), Maggio
Zimmermann. The most recent world premieres have been the operas Musicale in Florence (2000), and at the Israel Festival, Jerusalem “Liturgica”
“Wolkenstein” by Wilfried Hiller und Luca Lombardi´s “Prospero.” Festival and Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival. In 2006 the choir participat-
ed in a unique project of Israelis and Palestinians in France “D’une Seule
The Nürnberg Philharmonic has worked with many well-known Voix” and represented Israel in a concert-tour in Germany, honoring Isra-
conductors and soloists. Since 1999, it has played Germany´s el’s 60th anniversary. The choir’s 2004 Jewish-Christian recording “The
largest open-air classical music event, “Klassik Open Air beim Seventh Gate” was recently honored with a special French Academy
Picknick im Park“ in Nürnberg. Recent guest performances have taken prize “The Golden Orpheus”. They have also performed live on Israel’s
it, amongst other places, to Bejing, Nice, the Hong Kong Arts Festival “Voice of Music” radio station with original works by Israeli composers.
and on a much-acclaimed concert tour of Austria in early summer 2007.
The choir’s broad repertoire includes works from the early Renaissance
to modern compositions, classical Jewish, Israeli, European and Ameri-
can works, as well as traditional and folk music arranged for choir. Since
1998, Ronen Borshevsky has served as Music Director of the Jerusalem
Oratorio Chamber Choir. The choir’s Managing Director is Haggai Goren.
10 11Programme Notes
“Ancient and biblical texts inspired me to express the significance of And it shall come to pass in the last days (The Last Days to Come)
our collective human existence over time – our significance in the past, Issak Tavior
the present, and the future to come. These texts remain as relevant (b.1943)
today as when they were written, perhaps more so”. – Issak Tavior This work contains a collection of comforting prophecies by Isaiah, Amos
and Zephania depicting a state of world peace. (Isaiah 2:2): “nation shall
The Vision of the Dry Bones not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”
Issak Tavior (Isaiah 11:9): “The world will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord like
(b.1943) water covering the sea.”
Ezekiel’s parable reflects the resurrection and uplifting of the people
of Israel from the abyss of exile and holocaust to redemption and the The composer gathered the comforting prophesies of some of the
return to the land of Israel (Ezekiel, 37:12): “Thus said the Lord God; Prophets of Israel. These are reflected in the composition through his
Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up adherence to the vision of the Last Days to Come – a belief that the
out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.” achievement of this vision may be lengthy and fraught with obstacles,
but it will eventually arrive.
The composer envisaged Ezekial’s prophesy (that inspired his composi-
tion) as the prediction of the return to Zion and gathering of the exiles Programme notes for The Vision of the Dry Bones, Mount Sinai Cantata and The Last Days to Come
into the Land of Israel. The ‘dry bones’ are a metaphor for the bones of written by the composer, Issak Tavior.
those who perished in the Holocaust, and Ezekial asks in the verse “bring
you into the land of Israel” to whom does “you” refer, if not to the souls of
Israel interwoven into Jewish existence for eternity? Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45, Mvt. V: “Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit”
Johannes Brahms
(Born May 7, 1833, in Hamburg, Germany; died April 3, 1897,
Mount Sinai Cantata in Vienna, Austria)
Issak Tavior Ein deutsches Requiem occupied Brahms sporadically for over ten
(b.1943) years from the mid-1850’s to 1868. An extraordinary composition, it
This work relates the account of giving of the Ten Commandments grew slowly into its final form, enriched by associations and events
(Exodus 20), and the response of the Israelites (Exodus 24:7): “All that of significance to the composer and by his personal concern and
the Lord has said will we do, and be obedient.” emotion. Brahms’ long-gestating work became an extraordinary, towering
masterpiece both elevating and ennobling.
The composer believes the Ten Commandments necessitate “A strong
lamenting refrain” (perhaps for the first time). Given the evil laws that By 1861, the 5th anniversary of the death of his friend, composer
engendered mass destruction, the God-given laws must again be Robert Schumann, Brahms was deeply involved in the Requiem,
established as commandments that constitute the underpinning founda- which he perhaps first envisioned as a memorial to Schumann. Initially,
tions for human society. he set texts from the Bible, which read more as a work of poetry and
history than as a testament to religious belief. Later, he may have
The composer believes the foundation of Jewish beliefs is “we will do modeled other aspects of the work on Franz Schubert’s Deutsches
and be obedient”, performing a Commandment first without question and Requiem and Schumann’s Requiem für Mignon, with its text from
then learning and delving more deeply into it’s meaning. Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister.
12 13When Brahms’s mother died on January 31, 1865, his work on the Re- Suite modale has four closely related, integrated movements that may
quiem entered a second phase. He sought comfort and consolation in be played with little or no pause between them. The first, a graciously
his work, he said, after his loss. In 1866, he finished the Requiem. At lyrical Moderato features melancholic ideas shared by the soloist and
its premiere, December 1, 1867, in Vienna, only three movements were accompaniment. The second, at the same tempo, has closely related
performed, and badly, making its future uncertain. In 1868, Brahms con- subjects but a different mood from the first movement. The third move-
ducted the work in the Bremen Cathedral with great success. Shortly af- ment, a dance, Allegro giocoso, begins joyously but contains a slow-
terward, he inserted the music you will hear tonight, the fifth movement, a er, contrasting central section. The last movement begins with a slow,
soprano aria with chorus. The first complete public performance occurred solemn, introspective Adagio that later returns after the rhythmic Allegro
February 18, 1869, in Leipzig, deciso. When the tempo slows, the flute has a short cadenza.
Fragments of the themes from the earlier Moderato reappear as the
When he finished the Requiem, Brahms told his friends, “Now I am music moves to a peaceful, gentle ending.
consoled. I have surmounted obstacles that I thought I could never
overcome, and I feel like an eagle, soaring ever higher and higher.” This
idea of consolation distinguished Brahms’s Biblical Requiem text from the Overture to the Tragedy, Egmont, Op. 84
Latin Mass for the Dead. Brahms’s subject is the comfort of the living Ludwig van Beethoven
through resignation to God’s will, not a prayer for the peace and rest of (Born December 16, 1770, in Bonn, Germany; died March 26, 1827,
the soul of the dead. in Vienna, Austria)
The historical Count Egmont (1522‑1568), a Flemish statesman
Overall, Brahms’s Requiem, a series of Biblical songs, stretches to and soldier, faithfully served King Philip II of Spain until Philip annexed
more than symphonic length. The emotionally charged “Ihr habt nun the North European Lowlands and placed them under the harshly
Traurigkeit” is Langsam (“Slow”) and soft throughout. tyrannical rule of the Duke of Alba. Egmont’s leadership of a resistance
movement brought him to trial for high treason, and eventually, a sentence
of death. His martyrdom in the cause of freedom made him a popular
Suite modale hero, a venerated figure whom Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749‑1832)
Ernest Bloch memorialized in a play in 1788.
(Born July 24, 1880, in Geneva, Switzerland; died July 15, 1959, in
Portland, Oregon, USA) Although such political subjects were generally considered dangerous
Bloch, Swiss by birth, began his career in Europe; after 1916, his ambi- in Beethoven’s Vienna, the Royal and Imperial Court Theater planned
tions as a composer and conductor were thwarted, and he moved two new productions in 1809‑10 about the struggle of small European
to the United States, where he became a widely performed compos- regions for freedom from occupation and foreign rule: Goethe’s Egmont
er and influential teacher. Bloch’s best known works sprang from his and Friedrich von Schiller’s William Tell. The theater director approached
Jewish heritage: Schelomo; the Hebrew Sacred Service, Avodath Hakodesh; two composers, Beethoven and the now forgotten Adalbert Gyrowetz, the
and Three Pictures of Hassidic Life, Baal Shem. Court Theater’s staff composer and conductor, to write incidental music.
Beethoven preferred William Tell, probably the better play, but Gyrowetz
Bloch also composed abstract music without programmatic content. managed through court connections to procure that commission, leaving
He completed Suite Modale for flute and string orchestra, one of his last Beethoven the more difficult Egmont. In later years, Beethoven claimed
works, July 28, 1957, in Agate Beach, Oregon. He wrote it for Elaine to have chosen Egmont because of his admiration for Goethe, but even
Schaffer Kurtz, a flutist he knew only from recordings: in them he heard if it was his second‑choice, he strongly related to the subject, the heroic
a fresh, youthful musical sensibility. The suite is modal because its individual’s struggle for the greater good of others. He used this subject
melodies reflect old church modes, which are, in effect, scales whose steps for his opera Fidelio and in his Eroica Symphony.
do not follow contemporary major or minor scales.
14 15The commission occurred in 1809; Beethoven worked on the music until
mid-1810. As was usual then, he composed the Overture last although
it was the first music heard. The music was not ready on opening night;
it premiered at the fourth performance, with Beethoven conducting.
On April 12, 1811, Beethoven wrote to Goethe that he was sending the
music to him, and desired Goethe’s opinion of it, “Your criticism could be
helpful to me and my work, and would be as welcome as highest praise.”
Goethe replied he had heard good reports about it and planned to use it
in his own new production the following year. Later, Beethoven learned
that his publisher had not dispatched the score, and angrily berated him
for being “so discourteous to the finest German poet.” It is now
widely known, however, that Goethe, did not have much of an ear or taste
for music, anyhow.
In the closing section of the overture, Beethoven includes music from
the theatrical “Victory Symphony” that symbolizes Egmont’s moral victory,
even in death.
Programme notes for the Brahms, Bloch, and Beethoven are © 2009 Susan Halpern.
in partnership with
The Vision of the Dry Bones, Mount Sinai Cantata, and The Last Days to Come are provided courtesy of
T. Hemdat Yamim publishing.
Note on Works Sung by Cantor
Ani Ma’min (“I Believe”)
Known as the Holocaust Hymn, this song, which asserts faith in
God, was composed by Rabbi Azriel David Fastag while on the train
to Treblinka. The words are based on the twelfth of Maimonides’
Thirteen Principles of Faith.
El Maleh Rachamim (“Merciful God”)
This traditional Hebrew prayer asks God to grant perfect rest to the
souls of the dead. It is recited at funerals and memorial ceremonies.
16“We must continue to examine why the
world failed to prevent the Holocaust and
other atrocities since. That way, we will
be better armed to defeat anti-Semitism
and other forms of intolerance”.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
27 January 2009You can also read
