Before the Holocaust, Jewish life in Europe was flourishing. Numerous Jewish men and women were involved in shaping politics, science, society and culture. Many of them hoped that anti-Semitism would be overcome and that they would finally be able to live as equal, recognised members of society. The Holocaust brought this promising development, and in particular the unique, highly regarded German-Jewish culture, to an abrupt end. The consequences of this are still felt today: many Jewish personalities who were well known at the time and their achievements have now been forgotten.
This is also true of composers such as Friedrich Gernsheim (1839-1916), Karl Goldmark (1830-1915) and Salomon Jadassohn (1831-1902). They were appreciated and highly revered during their lifetimes. But during the Nazi era, the memory of their work was erased. Their works were banned from concert halls, and prints of their compositions and biographical writings were destroyed. Although a few copies of their sheet music have survived, most lie forgotten in libraries and archives, and only a handful have been republished to date. The names of these composers are still largely unknown, and their pieces are rarely performed.
The Gernsheim Duo brings works by forgotten Jewish composers back to the concert stage. It makes a small part of the wealth that was lost audible again and reminds us of the heyday of European Jewry at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the great contribution Jewish personalities made to European culture and history. In particular, it is committed to ensuring that the works of unknown Jewish composers are not only honoured in special and commemorative concerts, but also find their way into regular concert programmes and event series.