"Defiant Requiem": Press Talk
Press Invitation
Press Release, Wed 19 Feb 2014
After 12 years of international performances in the USA, Europe and Israel "Defiant Requiem" comes to Germany for the first time, to be shown at Konzerthaus Berlin. The concert drama is an unabridged production of Giuseppe Verdi´s Messa da Requiem, complemented by footage from a Nazi propaganda film and eyewitness accounts which are read to the audience. With this production, the American conductor Murry Sidlin revives the performances of Verdi´s Messa da Requiem in the Theresienstadt Ghetto. The production revolves around the conductor Rafael Schächter and his choir of inmates who defied Nazi terror despite a daily camp routine characterized by humiliation, illness and death with their courageous approach.
Accompanied by a diverse theme week and a scientific symposium, the performance of "Defiant Requiem" constitutes the closing event of the key focus on Theresienstadt Ghetto at the Jewish Museum Berlin.
Several guests of honor will attend the performance on 4 March, among them the witness of the time Edgar Krasa. As an inmate of Theresienstadt Ghetto he sang in Rafael Schächter’s Requiem. During the press talk he will give details of his life at Theresienstadt and his friendship with Rafael Schächter.
Press Talk
| When | Friday, 28 February 2014 |
|---|---|
| Accreditation | from 9.30 am, Old Building, first level |
| Start | 10 am |
| Meeting Point | Old Building, exhibition entrance on the first level Please allow sufficient time to pass the security check at the entrance. |
| With | Cilly Kugelmann, Program Director of the Jewish Museum Berlin Murry Sidlin, initiator & conductor Frank Markowitsch, leader of the choir & production Edgar Krasa, eye witness |
To facilitate the organization of the event, please respond via e-mail no later than Wednesday, 26 February.
- Kontakt
-
Press office
T +49 (0)30 259 93 419
presse@jmberlin.de - Address
Jewish Museum Berlin Foundation
Lindenstraße 9–14
10969 Berlin
German Premiere
| Artists | Murry Sidlin (initiator & conductor) Konzerthausorchester Berlin Chor des Jungen Ensembles Berlin Vokalakademie Berlin Frank Markowitsch (leader of the choir) Aga Mikolaj (soprano) Gerhild Romberger (mezzo soprano) Steven Tharp (tenor) István Kovács (bass) Iris Berben und Ulrich Matthes (speakers) |
|---|---|
| Where | Konzerthaus Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt |
| When | 4 March 2014, 8 pm |
| Tickets | 15 € to 42 € (plus booking fee) |
| Advance Booking | tel. +49 (0)30 20309 2101 or ticket@konzerthaus.de |
The Performance of the "Defiant Requiem" in Berlin is accompanied by a focus week on the Theresienstadt Ghetto starting on 27 February.
"Defiant Requiem" is presented by arrangement with The Defiant Requiem Foundation.
Under the patronage of:
Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
Prof. Monika Grütters MdB
Minister of State to the Federal Chancellor
H.E. Dr. Rudolf Jindrák
Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Federal Republic of Germany
Governing Mayor of Berlin
Klaus Wowereit
Dr. Martin Salm
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future"
Dr. Dieter Graumann
President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
Dr. h.c. Nikolaus Schneider
Chaiman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)
Archbishop Dr. Robert Zollitsch
President of the German Bishops’ Conference
Supported by:
Hauptstadtkulturfonds
Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future"
Gesellschaft der Freunde und Förderer der Stiftung Jüdisches Museum Berlin e.V.
Friends of the Jewish Museum Berlin in the U.S.
Exclusive Partner:
Volkswagen AG
Media Partners:
rbb Kulturradio, rbb Fernsehen, tip Berlin, Jüdische Allgemeine
