So German!
Nov 28, 2020 - So German Team
November 9th, 2020 marked the 82nd remembrance day of the German Reichspogromnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”). Together with Liberation 75, the German Embassy and Consulates in Canada and the German Embassy in the US remembered this night in 1938 with the webinar: Beyond All Memories – The Semer Ensemble and the Rescued Treasure of Jewish Musical Life in Nazi Berlin. The event was recorded and is available to everyone below!
After a short introduction by Marilyn Sinclair, the director of Liberation 75 and our incredible partner for this event, and by the German Ambassadors in the United States and Canada, the webinar begins.
The webinar features a short film premiere (directed by Christoph Weinert), showcasing the Semer Ensemble’s newly interpreted music originally recorded by Jewish musicians in 1930s Berlin.
The film is followed by a lively discussion moderated by Laila Biali, singer and CBC Radio host, and, Ben Wittman, percussionist, composer, Dr. Alan Bern, director of the Semer Ensemble, Dr. Rainer Lotz, music historian and discographer, and Sasha Lurje, singer in the Semer Ensemble. All three discuss the rescue of the original source material, the steps they took to interpret the music, and the visceral importance the music has today.
As well, the webinar features a live performance by Dr. Alan Bern and Sasha Lurje. They performed a favourite, “Die Welt ist klein geworden”.
Background History
The stage show Semer Reloaded features music from the Golden Age of Jewish Music, songs of love and jealousy, dreams and daily life. The music had been recorded by Hirsch Lewin through his label ‘Semer.’ Originally the owner of a Hebrew bookstore in Berlin, Lewin began recording and collecting music by Jewish artists after founding his label in 1932. Lewin was able to create thousands of recordings and produce hundreds of records. The Semer label defiantly recorded even as the Nazi oppression of Jewish cultural life continuously increased.
Lewin’s important work was violently stopped by the Nazi’s during the Reichspogromnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”) on November 9th, 1938. His label destroyed, the collection was then forgotten for decades, only to be recovered by Dr. Rainer Lotz, a German music historian, in the 1990s. Lotz travelled the world for years, managing to find all of the original records.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin tasked Dr. Alan Bern, a renowned musician and composer, with the evaluation of the musical collection. He found treasures. Ever since, Dr. Bern has gone on to re-interpret and perform the music with the ensemble of outstanding musicians that he united, most of them living in Berlin. The Semer Ensemble brings to the German capital and the world a remarkable cultural heritage that was long lost and has been rescued. It is a privilege so see them in action.
We hope you enjoy the webinar and would love to hear where you’re watching and what your thoughts are!
Check back in 2025 for the webinar recording.
