Vienna Philharmonic lays stones for 17 victims of its Nazi era

The orchestra, which has done much in reent years to excavate its Nazi period, is still making new discovering.

It had previously counted five members who were murdered in concentration camps and two others who died in Vienna ‘as a direct result of attempted deportation and persecution.’

It now counts a further 10 who were driven into exile and intends to place Stolpersteine on their last places of residence, 17 in all.

VPO Chairman Daniel Froschauer says: ‘These stones represent sites of remembrance that are intended to return to the victims the honor that was at one time denied them, and to exhort future generations to vigilance. Each of these stones recalls the life story of a musician who for racist and ideological reasons was stigmatized as a stranger, even though he was one of us.’

In all, 60 of the 123 Vienna Philharmonic players were members of the Nazi Party by 1942.