Music / The Mirror, Christopher Latham, violin and Edward Neeman, piano. At Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, June 1. Reviewed by LEN POWER.

To understand the experience of refugees and displaced persons fleeing the Nazis and the Holocaust, The Mirror examined the creations of composers and artists affected by these events.

As part of the Flowers of Peace project for the Australian War Memorial, Christopher Latham and Edward Neeman told 12 stories of World War II  refugee composers and internees through their music.

Projections of artworks with narrative provided a smooth continuity. Apart from a brief introduction by Latham, there was no spoken commentary during the concert.

The experiences of the composers attempting to flee to safety – some succeeding, some failing, none unaffected – was powerfully and emotionally told through their music. The carefully selected artwork added considerably to the program.

Composers Edwin Schulhoff, Pavel Haas and Victor Ullmann perished in the death camps. The beautiful music of these composers poignantly showed the promise of talented people whose lives were brutally cut short.

Amongst the composers who survived or escaped, Boaz Bischofswerder, Georges Boulanger, Henriёtte Bosmans, Erich Korngold, George Dreyfus, Ignaz Friedman and Georg Tintner, it was made clear that they did not do so unscathed. Their stories of displacement, of careers cut short due to illness or the impact on friends and family were devastating.

The playing of Latham and Neeman was superb. Allowing the music to speak for the composers and their lives.

Providing context and preparation for Kaddish: A Holocaust Memorial premiere concert by the Melbourne Symphony in October, The Mirror was a sobering, reflective experience that was still uplifting because of the opportunity to hear the fine music of composers who should not be forgotten.

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