Four composers featured on this recording represent a vanished generation of Czech music, who grew up in the cultural milieu of Janáček, Zemlinsky, Schoenberg, and Berg in Central Europe. It is often overlooked that Pavel Haas, a student of Janáček, was murdered in Auschwitz, as were the other composers. They were Jewish musicians who lived in the wrong place at the wrong time. All four were deported together from Terezín to Auschwitz, where three perished immediately. Only recently have their works and their significance begun to be recognized, after having been neglected for so long.
Hans Krása, Viktor Ullmann, and Gideon Klein, as Jewish artists, had to live in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Terezín became a Jewish ghetto and the setting for a remarkable chapter in music history. Originally a garrison town for the defense of the Habsburg Monarchy, it never possessed the elegance found, for example, in Salzburg or Vienna. Today, Terezín is primarily associated with the ghetto and the prison.
Despite the horrific conditions, a vibrant musical creativity flourished in Terezín. Cultural life developed spontaneously and provided a counterpoint to Nazi propaganda. Music was initially forbidden but was practiced in secret. Compared to other parts of Europe, musical life in Terezín was even freer. When the Red Cross raised concerns, the Nazis presented the ghetto as a model camp. Krása's children's opera Brundibár was frequently performed there.
Although circumstances were difficult, the artists continued to compose. Ullmann emphasized that his creative work was even fostered by Terezín. Brundibár, Krása's children's opera, was performed there a total of 55 times and is considered the most famous work from this period. Krása's music is characterized by its melodic and incisive style. The opera tells the story of Aninka and Pepicek, who want to support their ailing mother.
Viktor Ullmann, born in Moravian Silesia and a student of Schoenberg, combined Viennese character with lyrical melancholy in his Third Quartet. The works, composed in Terezín (Theresienstadt), reflect both the external circumstances and autonomous musical ideas.
Gideon Klein combined the Viennese style with Janáček's national influences. His String Trio follows a classical three-movement form. He also wrote choral works and performed as an accompanist in camp concerts.
Pavel Haas, who was taught by Janáček, drew inspiration for his compositions from summer stays in the Monkey Mountains. His Second String Quartet contains programmatic motifs and unites lyrical and dramatic passages.
This music offers a glimpse into a tragic era of Czech musical history.