2019: TWO PIANOS AT LEIPZIG
Leipzig Concert Documentary Performance, Mendelssohn Conservatory, 30 June 2019
The Two Pianos Back Story, Grieg Haus, 29 June 2019
Leipzig
-- Germany's former cultural capitol -- was an early socialist and Nazi
Party hotbed that historically experienced migration from Eastern Europe. It also was the first
post-Reunification East German city to convene a bi-annual "Jewish Week"
at which former Jewish residents driven out during the Third Reich are
invited back with their descendants as City guests. Leipzig's famed
Conservatory and Gewandhaus Orchestra (both founded by Felix
Mendelssohn), Thomas-Church Boys Choir (founded by J.S. Bach) and
University (founded 1409) draw visitors, students and faculty from
around the world.
Institutional Partners
Two Pianos-Leipzig was sponsored by The Synagogue and Meeting Center Leipzig eV
under direction of Gisela Kallenbach (former Member, EU Parliament
and Saxony Bundestag) and her fellow board members. The Center, part
of Leipzig’s interfaith community center Ariowitsch-Haus, serves as a hub for Jewish heritage through holiday celebrations, programming and community education.
Events
In connection with the City of Leipzig's bi-annual Jewish week, 23-30 June 2019:
7:30 PM, 29 June: "The Two Pianos Back Story, with Music" -- Presentation and exhibit featuring Two Pianos
narrators and pianists describing how Two Pianos came to be written and produced, in the performance salon of legendary music publisher Edition Peters Grieg Haus where
Grieg, Mahler and other composers previewed their
compositions. Anna and her friend Tanya held Peters
Scholarships as Conservatory students. In 2014 Peters moved its world headquarters back to its
19th-century building in Leipzig.
11 AM, 30 June:
"Two Pianos: Playing for Life" -- Performance and exhibit at the
Chamber Music Hall of the Leipzig
Conservatory. In this Hall (formerly
the "Small Hall"), Anna and her friends performed in student
recitals and graduation examinations.
Gisela Kallenbach (Ariowitsch Haus) and
Gabriele Goldfus (Director, Office for International Affairs, City of Leipzig) introduced both events. For a highlights video, click on the image at the top of this page.
The printed Leipzig program, dual-language program inserts, 32-page German-language color exhibit brochure, and professional videography were made possible by U.S. donations to The Two Pianos Project through Fractured Atlas, the Project's Fiscal Sponsor. For more information, please contact us.