Argerich and Maisky to play in synagogue

Argerich and Maisky to play in synagogue

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norman lebrecht

October 12, 2020

There’s a new festival in Lausitz, where Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky will play tonight in a restored Jewish sanctuary at Görlitz.

The synagogue in Görlitz is one of the most exciting cultural monuments in Germany. It is not only an Art Nouveau building of exceptional and deeply moving beauty by the Dresden architects William Loosow and Max Hans Kühne, who succeeded in combining contemporary building technologies with tradition, but also has an eventful history. Because it is one of the few synagogues in Germany that did not fall victim to the pogrom night of 1938. Despite its 33m high tower, it stood as a mute memorial, a vacant space in the middle of the city, until eight years ago when it was added to the list of national valuable cultural monuments and has been extensively restored since then.
Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky have a special affinity for this unique place and will bring the former synagogue to life almost six months before the planned reopening as a cultural center after a long renovation period.

 

Comments

  • Peter San Diego says:

    May the restored building bring people of all walks of life together in sharing the cultures of our shared humanity.

  • Akutagawa says:

    Lausitz is a region not a place, so I think “the Lausitz” is probably better than Lausitz, like “the Dordogne”. It’s Lusatia in English.

    The Görlitz shul story is funny in a macabre way. All the fire brigades in Germany had been given orders on Kristallnacht to stand by and watch the synagogues burn, but for some reason the fire chief in Görlitz didn’t get the message, so when the shul was set on fire, they rushed to the scene and put it out. Fancy that, firemen putting out fires!

    It’s a lovely part of Germany. Please do visit when it’s safe again to do so.

  • RW2013 says:

    There’s also a yearly Messiaen Festival in Görlitz
    https://www.messiaen-tage.eu

  • A message to Goerlitzer Jews: Please contact me

  • Stefan from Frankfurt says:

    Lausitz Festival is doing a live stream via YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHKBE9-fypM&feature=youtu.be

  • Flora Gill says:

    Absolutely beautiful Synagogue and wonderful concert.
    תודה רבה

  • StevieTV says:

    I have seen this concert .The beautiful music presented in the empty synagogue was a tribute to the lost lost souls who built it and used it. The program choices were fabulous and the resonance of sound in the beautiful synagogue was amazing.
    To Maisky-imprisoned by the Soviets because he was a Jew the location and meaning of this concert clearly touched him deep inside .And Argerich -always outstanding was perfect.

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