Laurence Sherr Photo: Laurence Sherr
American composer Laurence Sherr has dedicated his career to sharing the musical history of the Holocaust.
In 2014, Sherr wrote a cello sonata that borrows melodies from several Jewish resistance songs.
The composer says: “My sonata includes four songs that originated in ghettos, concentration camps, or among the partisans; and my subtitle ‘myr zaynen do!’ which means ‘we are here!’ is a refrain in one of the songs. It’s a Yiddish phrase that signifies identity, resistance and survival… Each of the creators of these songs has a compelling story. Their songs provide illumination of their circumstances, allow us to gain perspective on lost voices, and help us to understand the Holocaust. By creating a new composition drawing on their work it is my hope that the legacy of their cultural contributions will be remembered.”
Inbal Megiddo (cello) and Jian Liu (piano)
Recorded 1 May 2016, St Andrew's on the Terrace, Wellington by RNZ Concert.
Engineer: Graham Kennedy
