Artists

Kristallnacht@70 commemorates the 70th anniversary on November 10th and 11th, 2008 of the “Night of Broken Glass” which occurred in Nazi Germany, and led to the evacuation and deportation to concentration camps of thousands of Jewish citizens. On the evening of November 9, 1938, Nazis destroyed thousands of synagogues and Jewish businesses in Germany and Austria, plundering their contents and murdering or arresting thousands of Jews. Because of the widespread destruction, including shattered window glass that littered the streets, the night came to be known as Kristallnacht, the "night of broken glass." It remains one of the most devastating instances of Nazi persecution leading to the Holocaust. After Kristallnacht, it was absolutely clear to all German and European Jewish citizens that their lives and livelihoods were in danger.

Many composers were affected by the Nazi regime. Felix Mendelssohn’s music was banned during the Nazi era. Hans Krasa, a Czech composer, was interned at Terezin and later murdered at Auschwitz. Israeli composer Ofer Ben-Amots has written many works commemorating the Holocaust, in an eloquent and highly personal fashion.

The inspiration for Schoenfield's Sparks of Glory comes from a book compiled by Moshe Prager, a young Polish journalist during World War II. The collection, entitled Paths of Glory, retells actual heroic incidents from those dreadful years. Schoenfield derived the title of his four-movement work from Prager's introduction in which the author wrote: "Amid the black clouds which billow out of the Holocaust of Europe there are many flying sparks and flashes of human elevation. This harvest represents a modest attempt to bring together the scattered sparks, which joined, will burn as a mighty flame."

The CCP will commemorate Kristallnacht in a way that encourages ongoing tolerance in a world much in need of tolerance and acceptance. Short video clips from survivors will be included in the program. Survivor Osi Sladek will speak at the beginning of the program. Program is co-sponsored by the Center for Judaic Studies and the Holocaust Awareness Institute at the University of Denver.