On Sunday, April 28, the Consortium of the project ‘Reawakening Suppressed Music’ will have its presentation in London. The partners of this Consortium are: The Wiener Holocaust Library, Symphonova UK Ltd., The Leo Smit Foundation and Donemus. Works of Hans Krieg and Robert Kahn will be performed by the Symphonova hardware and Helen Baily, Soprano and Shelly Katz, conductor.
This project is a three-year endeavor that involves organizing presentations and workshops, starting later this year. Donemus is honored to be part of this international team, which leverages new technologies to bring to life previously unheard compositions for a global audience.
Shelley Katz – Conductor
Helen Bailey – Soprano
Hans Krieg – Jiskor for soprano and orchestra
Robert Kahn – Praeludium for soprano and orchestra
Joe Kraemer – Tribute for Alfred Bader for Orchestra
Dr Barbara Warnock – Wiener Holocaust Library
Marian McNichol – the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network
Prof Jeremy Sanders CBE – Cambridge University
This commemorative event celebrates the life of Dr. Alfred Bader CBE (1924 to 2018). Alfred led an extraordinary life: a child refugee on the Kindertransport, a chemist, a businessman who founded the Aldrich Chemical Company, and an art collector and philanthropist.
Through Bader Philanthropies, his philanthropy supported and continues to support many organisations and people close to his heart, including all three hosts of this event: Quakers in Britain, the Wiener Holocaust Library and Symphonova UK.
The event will feature speakers and music pertinent to Alfred Bader’s life. Dr Barbara Warnock from the Wiener Holocaust Library will talk about the Kindertransport, Marian McNichol, from the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network will speak on how Quakers are advocating for refugees today, and Prof Jeremy Sanders CBE will speak about Alfred’s contribution to the world through chemistry.
Led by Dr Shelley Katz conducting the Micro-Symphonova the musical part of the evening will consist of orchestral music, including works by Hans Krieg and Robert Kahn who suffered under the Holocaust, and a new composition written for the occasion by Joe Kraemer.
The purpose of the Project is to record and actively disseminate suppressed orchestral music of the Holocaust from Jewish composers that were persecuted by the Nazi’s along with other compositions that were banned for non-musical reasons. The Wiener Holocaust Library, Symphonova UK Ltd., The Leo Smit Foundation and Donemus Publishing have come together to achieve this ambitious purpose. Together, they bring a wealth of expertise, resources, and passion and look forward to bringing lost musical treasures to public awareness.
In the project’s first year, the team prioritised scores published by Donemus but never recorded.
Looking ahead and exploring the intricate tapestry of music suppressed during the Holocaust and beyond, ‘Reawakening Suppressed Music’ confronts a myriad of compelling questions. How do we define a ‘suppressed’ composer – is it solely through their experiences during the Holocaust, or does it extend to the long shadow cast on their prior or subsequent career, especially if they enjoyed prominence and success? The boundaries of identity are equally challenging: what defines a Jewish composer in the context of conversion, secular life, or personal identification? Moreover, the scope of suppression transcends the Holocaust, prompting us to consider artists persecuted under other regimes, religious autocracies, and at other times in history. And finally, central to our exploration is the profound inquiry: how can we present and appreciate this music in a way that honours both its history of suppression and the cultural loss it signifies, while also engaging with and highlighting its intrinsic artistic value?
These questions cannot receive definitive answers, but they are not rhetorical; rather, the team presented them to acknowledge that they and many other related questions are profound, and they are keen to listen attentively to thoughtful and informed conversations by experts. However, in the context of our stated purpose, we articulate these questions so they may stimulate wide and general discussion; and inform our endeavour to unearth, perform, and share a diverse range of suppressed music.
Composers in the crosshairs of our attention