Songs of the Holocaust: Music of Remembrance returns to island for symphonic performance

The Music of Remembrance symphonic ensemble will take islanders on a journey back to the 1930s with a performance at Waterfront Park Community Center. The free show will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7 and will include works by Laszlo Weiner, Marc Lavry, Erwin Schuloff and Osvaldo Golijov

The Music of Remembrance symphonic ensemble will take islanders on a journey back to the 1930s with a performance at Waterfront Park Community Center.

The free show will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7 and will include works by Laszlo Weiner, Marc Lavry, Erwin Schuloff and Osvaldo Golijov.

Each piece resonates with the musical voices of World War II.

In pre-Nazi Germany, Latvian-born Marc Lavry was a revered composer and conductor before he was forced to immigrate to Israel with the onset of the Nazi regime.

Later he wrote, “I immigrated to Israel in 1935 and immediately felt that I found my spiritual homeland.

“I felt that the country inspired me as a composer.”

Since his immigration, Lavry became a notable influence, and he helped establish Israeli-Mediterranean composition by combining indigenous and folk sounds.

In the night’s program, the Music of Remembrance will perform Lavry’s “Three Jewish Dances.” The song encompasses Lavry’s musical movement and work in Israel.

Lavry’s work also holds a special meaning to Bainbridge residents as his extended family are long-time islanders.

Also on the program is Laszlo Weiner’s piece, “String Trio.”

Weiner, who died at the age of 28 in a Nazi concentration camp, lived past his death with his compositions, but his death, likewise, speaks of the potential that never had the chance.

Erwin Schulhoff was a well-known musician before he was taken into a Nazi prison camp during World War II. The Music of Remembrance will perform his, “Concertino.”

Last on the program is certainly not least. The ensemble will bring back to life the love story of a young Jewish woman and a Gypsy man in war-torn Europe, with Osvaldo Golijov’s piece, “Lullaby and Doina.”

The piece begins with a Yiddish lullaby that Golijov composed for the Sally Potter film, “The Man Who Cried.”

Artistic Director Mina Miller will introduce each piece by sharing the musical and historical context.

The Music of Remembrance brings together an ensemble of Seattle’s top musicians, many of whom perform with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. The concert will also feature double bassist and Bainbridge resident, Jonathan Green, for the Schuloff and Golijov pieces.

The performance is part of the Sparks of Glory series put on by the Music of Remembrance every year.