Terezín / Theresienstadt

BBC Magazine Award Finalist 2008 (Best vocal recording)

'The poignant history of the Theresienstadt (Terezin) ghetto, its musicians and composers is now well known. This recital of songs and chamber works brings a broad range of the repertoire to life in performances of the deepest insight and sincerity.' (BBC)

"Music in the face of horror: that knowledge makes this set so moving...this is an album that transcends criticism and must be heard. The tale of Theresienstadt is as dreadful as the world has offered. So when listening to von Otter singing a haunting lullaby composed by a nurse who opted to go to the gas chamber with the children in her care, and sang them to their last sleep with this same song, there is no way but tears. Essential."
Editor's Choice Gramophone Magazine October 2007

"This disc is an absolute must for anyone interested in sampling music by those whose lives were cruelly cut short by a monstrous ideology, and who would have made further hugely important contributions to the music of the 20th century. All the songs are wonderfully sung by Anne Sofie von Otter and Christian Gerhaher and accompanied by Bengt Forsberg and others. This is my nomination for Disc of the Year without reservation."
(MusicWeb Recording of the Month Dec 2007)

On this CD, von Otter has chosen a project with a serious and historically significant background. She interprets pieces written in the Theresienstadt concentration camp by a group of Jewish composers who were imprisoned there and yet managed to foster a rich cultural life even under the most extreme conditions. Most composers were later murdered in Auschwitz.