As
discussed in The Aftermath section, the role of Terezin in the
horrors of WWII was rarely mentioned. Efforts were instead made by the Czechs
to ensure a political situation similar to that of the “German protectorate”
never occurred again. As a result, millions of ethnic Germans were deported
from Czech lands between 1945 and 1946, particularly from the Sudetenland.
Anything affiliated with Germany or Germans became taboo in Czech culture,
which removed many composers and their music from the performance scene. Only
Terezin composers like Ervin Schulhoff, who had embraced Communism as a
statement against the Nazis, were still performed and mentioned in textbooks.
Those who were not Communist, and were instead Czech or native Germans, were
primarily overlooked until the fall of Communism in 1989.
With
documents and information on Terezin culture so limited in Czechoslovakia prior
to 1989, most efforts to recognize Terezin music originated elsewhere in the
world. However, the floodgates opened after Prague’s Velvet Revolution, and
Terezin’s composers, musicians, and artists gained increasing acclaim as their
stories and music were uncovered under the freedoms of the new Czech Republic.
In the past decade, the names of composers like Klein and Ullmann have been
raised to the status of other 20th-century masters. This acceptance
is particularly confirmed by the inclusion of their works on concert programs
not devoted specifically to Holocaust music. While the context behind a Terezin
composition should not to be fully disregarded, it finally is not critical for
audience appreciation of the composer’s talents and skills. Many Terezin works
are now considered appropriate repertoire for any performing group’s season.
Here
are two interviews regarding the evolving world attitudes towards the music of
Terezin. One is with Vlasta Reittererova, a music librarian at Charles
University in Prague and a published Terezin scholar. The other is with Mark
Kagan, a tenor soloist who performed in the American premiere of Der Kaiser von Atlantis. Both discuss
the music today from widely different vantagepoints, but echo the same
sentiment.
To the
interviews…
|
