In an Associated Press story that has been carried widely, Kathy Matheson reports, “The already remarkable life of Holocaust survivor George Horner is about to take another exceptional turn. The 90-year-old pianist will make his orchestral debut with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma on Tuesday night at Boston’s Symphony Hall. And they’ll be playing music composed 70 years ago at the Nazi prison camp where Horner was incarcerated. ‘It’s an extraordinary link to the past,’ said concert organizer Mark Ludwig. The performance will benefit the Terezin Music Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving the work of artists and musicians killed in the Holocaust.… Horner played piano and accordion in the Terezin cabarets, including tunes written by fellow inmate Karel Svenk. On Tuesday, Horner will play two of Svenk’s works solo—a march and a lullaby—and then team up with Ma for a third piece called ‘How Come the Black Man Sits in the Back of the Bus?’ … The program features additional performances by Ma and the Hawthorne String Quartet. In a statement, Ma said he’s glad the foundation is ‘giving voice through music to those whose voices have been tragically silenced.’ ”
Posted October 22, 2013
