Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This is not an easy review to write, for reasons that I shall explain. However, it is easy to express our admiration for the performances of Austrian baritone Wolfgang Holzmair and American pianist Russell Ryan, who is both accompanist and soloist on this CD; both are excellent. My problem is with the material and if what I am about to write gives offence, none was intended. All seven of the composers on this disc were interned in the Nazi ghetto of Theresienstadt (also known as Terezin) in occupied Czechoslovakia where six of them either died or were moved to the death camp at Auschwitz to be murdered. The only survivor was Karel Berman, who lived on until 1995. The atrocities committed by the Nazis and their accomplices must never be forgotten and if this disc helps to keep the memory of what happened alive then it has achieved something worthwhile but, to be frank, I am not certain if the material we hear is up to standard. The fact that the Jewish occupants of Theresienstadt attempted to continue with their lives is, of course, greatly to their credit although the Nazis did manage to twist this in their propaganda by using Theresienstadt as their public face of the Final Solution, showing the "happy" Jews living, working and playing together. So composers composed and musicians performed and, in the end, the candle was snuffed out. Two generations of composers are represented in this recital. Pavel Haas, Hans Krasa, Viktor Ullmann and Ilse Weber were born around the turn of the century and established their careers and creative identities during the first years of Czechoslovakian independence. Zikmund Schul, Gideon Klein and Karel Berman would have been the next generation, had they been spared. Perhaps one would have become the next Dvorak or Janacek but we will never know. Yes, the potential is to be heard in some of the pieces and the pressure under which they were written and first performed is utterly beyond my comprehension so perhaps I should say no more.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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