Remembrance Day Concert Pays Tribute to Lost Generation of Composers
Hull, Quebec, November 4,1998 The Canadian Museum of Civilization joins the German Embassy to present a concert of music by talented but uncelebrated composers who lost their lives during the Holocaust. Leo Smit (19001943), Pavel Haas (18991944) and Erwin Schulhoff (18941942) are part of what could be called a "lost generation" of composers. Several of their works for piano and flute will be performed by pianist Cordula Hacke and flutist Susan Hoeppner at a concert on November 11, 1998 at 7:30 p.m. in the Theatre of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Admission is free and all are welcome.
The concert, entitled Die verlorene Generation or The Lost Generation, coincides with the conference "Building History: Legal Memory and Contemporary Judgements", organized by the Kleinmann Family Foundation and B'nai Brith Canada, held in Ottawa from November 8 to 13.
Beate Schrφder-Nauenburg of the Dresden Centre for Contemporary Music recently wrote of the "lost generation" composers: "These names can scarcely be found in music encyclopediae; that, in no more than half a century, their works have almost never been performed, is by no means due to a want of quality, but, rather, is accounted for by a common biographical peculiarity: they did not die a natural death they were victims of violence during the Nazi era.
"After the end of the war the composers (primarily Jewish) who had been ostracized, banned and eventually murdered by the National Socialists fell into complete oblivion, due to the success of the Nazi's infamous plan to eliminate their names from the musical scene not only in Germany but in the occupied countries as well. It is only in the last few years and thanks to the initiative of music researchers, publishers and the media that the enormous charisma of their works has motivated a gradual reawakening of interest in these composers who had such a crucial influence on European musical life in the first half of the 20th century."
In contrast with these composers, the performers for the The Lost Generation concert on November 11 have received international acclaim for their talent. Cordula Hacke is one of Germany's busiest and most respected chamber pianists, hailed throughout Europe, North America and Africa for her imaginative and insightful performances. Her many recordings attest to her remarkable versatility ranging from contemporary Japanese composers to turn-of-the-century salon music. She recently completed a compact disc recording called The Lost Generation and is currently working on recordings of works by Hindemith and Heiden.
Susan Hoeppner is a highly accomplished Canadian flutist who has received lavish praise for solo and guest performances in numerous cities around the globe. She has been called "one of the best flutists of her generation" and The Washington Post noted that "one can almost hear the words in her flute-song." She has numerous recordings to her credit and is much in demand as teacher, adjudicator and performer.
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