29 May 2018

Laurence SHERR: Sonata for cello & piano, Mir zaynen do!

From Music Alive, 7:30 pm on 29 May 2018
Laurence Sherr

Laurence Sherr Photo: Laurence Sherr

American composer Laurence Sherr has dedicated his career to sharing the musical history of the Holocaust.

In 2014, Sherr wrote a cello sonata that borrows melodies from several Jewish resistance songs.

The composer says: “My sonata includes four songs that originated in ghettos, concentration camps, or among the partisans; and my subtitle ‘myr zaynen do!’ which means ‘we are here!’ is a refrain in one of the songs. It’s a Yiddish phrase that signifies identity, resistance and survival… Each of the creators of these songs has a compelling story. Their songs provide illumination of their circumstances, allow us to gain perspective on lost voices, and help us to understand the Holocaust. By creating a new composition drawing on their work it is my hope that the legacy of their cultural contributions will be remembered.”

Inbal Megiddo (cello) and Jian Liu (piano)

Recorded 1 May 2016, St Andrew's on the Terrace, Wellington by RNZ Concert.

Engineer: Graham Kennedy

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