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During World War II, the persecution perpetrated by the Nazis was not limited to religious lines. Art, music, and theater suffered, or was labeled “Entartige:” degenerate. The University of Maine’s own Phillip Silver, Noreen Silver and Karel Lidral came together Feb. 2 as part of the School of Performing Arts Faculty Series at Minsky Recital Hall to celebrate artists who were cut short in their prime in a performance called Thwarted Voices.
The program consisted of five diverse, but moving pieces. The first was “Five Pieces for Piano Op. 34,” composed in 1948 by Paul Ben-Haim. Ben-Haim was born in Germay but fled to Palestine. He was commended for his development of a new school of music called “Eastern Mediterranean.” The sound was distinct, with a classical melody placed over nontraditional but complementary chords.
“It’s not always successful, but it is interesting,” Phillip Silver said.
The second piece was “Sonata No. 2 for Violoncello and Piano” by Bohuslav Martinu, an anti-Fascist who fled to America. Norean Silver joined in on the violoncello. The music was chilling, the kind you would expect to hear haunting a theater on European streets before the war.
“It was very much in view of the atmosphere of Europe at the time,” said Phillip Silver.
After a brief intermission, a medley was performed called “Two Transcriptions for Piano Solo,” composed by Franz Schreker and arranged by Ignaz Strasfogel. The two selections were “Die Marionetten” from the ballet “Geburtstag der Infantin” and the “Waldszene” from the opera “Der Ferne Klang.” Schreker was head of the Berlin Conservatory and a prominent German opera composer. He was dismissed by the Nazis and died in 1934.
“Scherzo No. 1 for Piano” was next, a composition by Strasfogel. Strasfogel came to America to conduct music and became successful in New York. He was also very secretive about his work as a composer.
“He hid this from even his closest associates,” Philip Silver said.
Erwin Schulhoff, before his death in a concentration camp, was recognized as a prodigy in Germany. Despite his classical training, he became involved in modern jazz music. His love for this new sound was apparent in the final piece, “Hot-Sonate for Saxaphone and Piano.” Phillip Silver was joined by Lidral, who has previously perfomed in the “TGIF Jazz” series at Memorial Union. The piece was the most upbeat of the afternoon, as Lidral coaxed some amazing notes out of his saxophone, at times soft and mellow, and at others fast and punchy.
The show was an hour full of a wide range of emotions, from the soft weeping of the cello, to the moody piano and the hopeful kick of the saxophone. Some songs were uplifting and full of hope, others imitated a voice of despair. Each musician displayed their extraordinary talent and passion for music. The concert was a fitting testimony to the composers it honored a solemn reminder of the horrors of persecution and how both can affect the world.
Bangor Daily News