A Hidden Treasure: The Brundibar Festival of Newcastle upon Tyne, England'

In 2017, I, Rabbi Barbara Borts, read a note about some
concerts being held in my city of Newcastle upon Tyne, with
music by composers who were considered
'entarte', 'degenerate', music banned by the Nazis as too
modern, too corrupting, too Jewish. I had heard some of the
compositions here and there, as they began to be reclaimed
and performed, and I went along to the first one. I wasentranced.
The music was special, intriguing, lovely, different, and it
was exciting to have this music as an aspect of the
commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day.


The inspired figure behind this programme was
Sasha Raikhlina, a gifted violinist with the
Northern Sinfornia Orchestra. She assembled a team,
and thus was established the
annual Brundibar Festival. I am here
discussing this project with Sasha herself.