Re: Germans and Klezmer

[Khupenikes <Khupenikes...>]

>A recent German film (English title: Beyond Silence),
>concerns an o-so-sensitive  young woman, the daughter of
>hearing-impaired  parents
>-note the symbolism- who aspires to become a klezmer clarinetist.
>Nowhere in this film  are either Jews or Jewish music ever mentioned!!!

Since the discussion has gone much further, this might not be so interesting 
anymore, but still:
"Jenseits der Stille" is a Swiss, not German, film, with music written by 
Niki Reiser from Kol Simcha. Because his music is, in part, slightly 
klezmer-flavored you may have gotten the impression that the young girl wants 
to become a klezmer musician. That?s not part of the story. She wants to 
become a classical clarinetist.
There is some central, important musical theme, which can be heard as klezmer 
or Jewish music in the sense of Feidman ("all music is klezmer").

The film was indeed very successful in Switzerland and Germany, leading to 
the phenomenon that thousands of young girls wanted to learn classical, or 
whatever style, clarinet. My clarinet-teaching friends tell that they didn?t 
remember the indeed very, very short Feidman-appearence - but they *did* 
remember the Girl and Niki's music.

Christian Dawid

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