Holocaust Remembrance Day: Music for the Memory of the Human

Kronen Zeitung, January 26, 2023

German original: https://www.krone.at/2913329

It is a venture: since November, a young ensemble has been rehearsing the difficult "Quartet for the End of Time" by Olivier Messiaen. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is celebrated on Friday, they face the audience at an unusual performance venue.

Friday, January 27, is International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holocaust, as the Nazi genocide of European Jews during World War II is known.

A Special Piece in a Special Place

In the heart of Linz, namely in the hall of St. Barbara Cemetery, a very special ensemble is performing to mark the occasion: Four students from Linz's Stifter Gymnasium have joined forces; they are between 17 and 19 years old and are all musicians. Together, they are venturing into the exceptional piece "Quartet for the End of Time" by Olivier Messiaen. "The work touches us so much," says Stephan Deinhammer, the pianist.

"Memory is important to us"

Why exactly is this work fitting for Holocaust Remembrance Day: "When Messiaen composed it, he was an inmate in a POW camp. The work is a bridge to something deeply human. And the liberation of Auschwitz was the return of the human."

Deinhammer performs with Leonhard Gaigg (clarinet), Klara Brunnhofer (violin) and Feline Gröpler (cello). The young ensemble's goal for their concert at the Barbara Cemetery: "We want to create a space for remembrance with this music."