Moving artist stories: Days of exile in Schwerin begin!

Moving artist stories: Days of exile in Schwerin begin!

In Schwerin, the memory of the fates of exiled and ostracized artists comes to life: the event “Days of Exile Schwerin & Festival for Ostracized Music” will take place from November 8th to 14th. This significant event was created to highlight the stories of persecution, escape and life in exile. The opening concert on November 8th at 6 p.m. in the theater tent at the Küchengarten promises to be a very special highlight: with the participation of the opera choir, the Mecklenburg State Orchestra and well-known soloists such as soprano Karen Leiber and baritone Martin Gerke, exile compositions from the National Socialist era will be heard, which already raises high expectations [ostsee-zeitung.de].

The series of events is organized by the Hamburg Körber Foundation in cooperation with the state capital Schwerin and the Mecklenburg State Theater. The aim is to raise public awareness of the issues of persecution and the fate of artists in exile and to promote a dialogue about the past and present. In recent years, such moving stories have often been overlooked, so the project is now seen as an important step in shedding light on the darkness, he adds nordkurier.de.

A versatile program

Overall, numerous events are planned during the “Days of Exile”, including:

• 9. November, 15 Uhr: „Jüdisches Leben in der Schweriner Geschichte“ am Schlachtermarkt.
• 10. November, 19 Uhr: Lesung von Gerhard Haase-Hindenberg aus „Ich bin noch nie einem Juden begegnet“ in der Volkshochschule.
• 11. November, 19 Uhr: „Exilliteratur gestern und heute“ im Kulturforum.
• 13. November, 17 Uhr: Ausstellung „Zwei Künstler im Exil“ von Theo Balden und Max Becker im Staatlichen Museum Schwerin.
• 14. November, 19 Uhr: „Erinnerungen wachhalten“ im Konservatorium.

The program is aimed at a wide audience and invites people to ask questions about details of exile and persecution, while at the same time honoring the history of the artists who were repressed.

A significant legacy

The roots of the event go back to a project that was launched two decades ago by Volker Ahmels - the “Forbidden Music” festival. The aim of this was to present works by composers who were branded “degenerate” and banned by the National Socialists. Bundled works by well-known Jewish composers such as Mendelssohn and lesser-known musicians such as Hans Krása have also found a deserved place in this commemoration nordkurier.de.

However, the relevance of this offering has not developed without challenges. The Jeunesses Musicales Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania sponsoring association filed for bankruptcy two years ago, which also affected the fate of the festival. The Sparkasse Foundation stopped its annual funding, which represents a significant setback. In the future, a reduced festival program is planned for 2024.

For anyone who would like to find out more about the “Days of Exile”, there is further information and ticket details on the website www.tagedesexils.de. The organizers hope for great interest and lively participation from citizens in order to keep the stories of the ostracized artists alive and create a space for exchange. Don't miss this moving event!