AS IF IT ALL HAPPENED YESTERDAY

A concert at the Prague National Theatre in honor of the survivors of the Nazi persecution.

As a result of a joint initiative of the Czech-German Fund for the Future, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Prague and the National Theatre Prague, the idea arose to organize a concert in honor of the survivors of the Nazi persecution. The extraordinary situation and measures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic did not make it possible to hold this concert according to the original plan in 2020 and thus celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Even a year later, however, the idea of homage to the victims of Nazism does not lose its intensity - the festive nature of the event will be highlighted by the participation of hundreds of survivors of Nazi persecution in the auditorium. The concert is part of the Musica non grata Project, thanks to which the music of composers persecuted by the Nazis comes to life at the Prague National Theatre. In addition to Mendelssohn's famous violin concerto in E minor, performed by the German soloist Viviane Hagner, the musical program also includes works by the so-called Terezín composers Viktor Ullmann and Pavel Haas who were active in the Terezín ghetto. Thanks to portraits by the Czech photographer Karel Cudlín combined with short quotes from survivors memories the viewer meets face to face with the last Czech victims of Nazism still living, whose expression, despite their suffering, reflect the unbeatable vitality of life.

The concert is an emotional experience with a message that must be kept before our eyes even after 76 years after the end of World War II.

Production Company Czech Television
Genre Concert TV recording
Orchestra / Band Prague State Opera Orchestra
Conductor Karl-Heinz Steffens
TV Director Adam Rezek
Distribution TV Czech Television
Camera Jan Hubač
Video format 16:9 HD
Duration 55 mins
Production year 2021