Fwd: [78-l] Beyond Recall: Jewish Music in Germany 1933-38

[Joel Bresler <jbresler...>]

I thought listers might be interested.

Shana tovah!

Joel

>To: 78-l (at) topica(dot)com
>From: andrew brown <brown135 (at) hotmail(dot)com>
>Subject: [78-l] Beyond Recall: Jewish Music in Germany 1933-38
>Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 06:04:28 +0000
>
>This 11-CD/1 DVD//400 page book/box set is supposed to come out any day
>now. Perhaps it is already out in Germany. It promises to be an
>extraordinary document, to say the least.
>
> >From the Bear Family website:
>
>"Beyond Recall ... A record of Jewish musical life in Nazi Berlin, 1933
>- 1938"
>
>After Hitler's seizure of power in 1933, anti-Semitism became a state
>doctrine. The National Socialists' aim was the physical destruction of
>the Jews. Every memory of the sound and voice of Jewish artists was to
>be consigned to oblivion in the same way as the Yiddish language. On
>being liberated from Theresienstadt concentration camp, the Berlin
>Rabbi, Leo Baeck, stated his conviction that the 1,000 year history of
>the Jews in Germany had come to an irrevocable end.
>This documentation is proof of the victory of life over death -
>priceless sound documents have been rescued, then restored with a great
>expenditure of technological effort and, after sixty years, made
>available once more for all time.
>Under constant surveillance by the Gestapo, the members of a Jewish
>Cultural League [Jüdischer Kulturbund] in Berlin were able to pursue
>their artistic activities and make and distribute records. Some of the
>titles recorded in Berlin were released in Palestine from 1934 to 1936 ­
>forming part of the early history of Israel's record industry. These
>records that are scattered throughout the world for the most part exist
>only as single copies or test pressings. The repertoire is wide and
>includes classical music, Yiddish comedians, German cabaret, Palestinian
>folk songs and, above all, cantorial singing of enormous eloquence.
>This edition consists of 11 CDs with a total playing time of more than
>14 hours of music and a DVD with a reconstructed version of the sound
>film 'Hebräische Melodie' [Hebrew Melody] featuring the violinist
>Andreas Weissgerber - this film was believed lost, but is now presented
>here for the first time.
>The accompanying hardback book is profusely illustrated and presented in
>both German and English. The text has been jointly prepared by the
>biographer Horst H. J. P. Bergmeier, the historian Ejal Jakob Eisler and
>the discographer Rainer E. Lotz, and also contains an introduction by
>Rabbi Andreas Nachama, a foreword by Henryk Broder, an 'Introduction to
>the Jewish Liturgy' by Rabbi David Polnauer as well as an explanation of
>sound recording techniques by the sound engineer Robert M. Laue.



Joel Bresler
250 E. Emerson Rd.
Lexington, MA 02420 USA

Home Office:    781-862-4104
FAX:            781-862-0498
Email:          jbresler (at) ma(dot)ultranet(dot)com

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