| News Archive of The Lahr von Leitis Academy & Archive |
| News Archive 2015 |
| |
Saturday, November 14, 2015, at 7.30 pm
Münchner Künstlerhaus
Lenbachplatz 8
80333 München / Germany |
Austrian Exiled Composer Egon Lustgarten (1887 – 1961)
Musical-Literary Portrait
|
| under the patronage of Maestro Kurt Masur |
In 1938 the “Anschluss” thwarted the planned world-premiere of Lustgarten’s opera “Dante in Exile” at the Vienna State Opera. Egon Lustgarten fled to New York where he continued to compose. He wrote four more operas. When he died he left numerous compositions, many diaries and a rich correspondence with his contemporaries, such as Karl Kraus.
In 2005, Elysium premiered a shortened version of “Dante in Exile”. The German daily newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” worte: “New birth of a forgotten work of opera […] passionate production under Greogrij von Leitis’ sensitive leadership.” |
Concept and Introduction: Michael Lahr
Piano: Dan Franklin Smith
Soprano: Jeannie Im
Recitation: Gregorij H. von Leitis |
Tickets:
Münchner Künstlerhaus, phone 089 / 59 91 84 14, info@kuenstlerhaus.com
München Ticket, phone 089 / 54 81 81 81, www.muenchenticket.de
ZKV Marienplatz UG + Stachus 2. UG
AD Ticket www.adticket.de and by phone at 069 / 40 76 62 0 |
Presented by the Münchner Künstlerhauses
in cooperation with Elysium – between two continents and The Lahr von Leitis Academy & Archive |
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| |
Thursday, November 12, 2015, at 6.00 pm
White Stork Synagogue
Center for Jewish Culture & Education
Wlodkowica 7
Wroclaw / Poland |
Cornet: Viktor Ullmann’s Legacy from Theresienstadt
|
| in remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps |
In 1942, the Austrian-Jewish composer Viktor Ullmann was deported to the ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt north of Prague. Despite horrible circumstances, Ullmann composed a number of great works there. His artistry helped himself and gave consolation and strength to his fellow inmates. In October of 1944 Ullmann was murdered in Auschwitz. But his compositions from Theresienstadt were saved and to this day bear to Ullmann’s powerful creativity and deep humanity.
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke“ for recitation and piano is based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem of the same title. It tells the haunting story of a young soldier who – within one night – finds fullfilment in love and then dies in battle when the enemies attack the castle where he and his company are resting. The music poignantly illustrates, comments and emphasizes the dramatic action. Ullmann composed the “Cornet“ in the summer of 1944 and dedicated it to his wife Elisabeth on her birthday on September 27. Three weeks later they both were deported to Auschwitz, along with a number of artists from Theresienstadt, and killed in the gas chambers immediately after their arrival. |
Program
Introductory Lecture on Music from Theresienstadt – Michael Lahr
Piano Sonata No. 6 (op. 49)
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke”
Recitation – Gregorij H. von Leitis
Piano – Dan Franklin Smith |
Presented by the Fundacja Bente Kahan
in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Wroclaw |
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| |
Monday, November 9, 2015, at 7.30 pm
Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin
Stauffenbergstraße 1
10785 Berlin / Germany |
Austrian Exiled Composer Egon Lustgarten (1887 – 1961)
Musical-Literary Portrait
|
| under the patronage of Maestro Kurt Masur |
In 1938 the “Anschluss” thwarted the planned world-premiere of Lustgarten’s opera “Dante in Exile” at the Vienna State Opera. Egon Lustgarten fled to New York where he continued to compose. He wrote four more operas. When he died he left numerous compositions, many diaries and a rich correspondence with his contemporaries, such as Karl Kraus.
In 2005, Elysium premiered a shortened version of “Dante in Exile”. The German daily newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” worte: “New birth of a forgotten work of opera […] passionate production under Greogrij von Leitis’ sensitive leadership.” |
Concept and Introduction: Michael Lahr
Piano: Dan Franklin Smith
Soprano: Jeannie Im
Recitation: Gregorij H. von Leitis |
| Admission: free |
Presented by the Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin
in cooperation with Elysium – between two continents and The Lahr von Leitis Academy & Archive |
 |
| |
Sunday, October 18, 2015, at 4.00 pm
Roedde House Museum
1415 Barclay Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1J6 |
Cornet: Viktor Ullmann’s Legacy from Terezin
|
| in remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of the concentration camps |
In 1942, the Austrian-Jewish composer Viktor Ullmann was deported to the ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt north of Prague. Despite horrible circumstances, Ullmann composed a number of great works there. His artistry helped himself and gave consolation and strength to his fellow inmates. In October of 1944 Ullmann was murdered in Auschwitz. But his compositions from Theresienstadt were saved and to this day bear to Ullmann’s powerful creativity and deep humanity.
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke“ for recitation and piano is based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem of the same title. It tells the haunting story of a young soldier who – within one night – finds fullfilment in love and then dies in battle when the enemies attack the castle where he and his company are resting. The music poignantly illustrates, comments and emphasizes the dramatic action. Ullmann composed the “Cornet“ in the summer of 1944 and dedicated it to his wife Elisabeth on her birthday on September 27. Three weeks later they both were deported to Auschwitz, along with a number of artists from Theresienstadt, and killed in the gas chambers immediately after their arrival. |
Program
Introductory Lecture on Music from Theresienstadt – Michael Lahr
Piano Sonata No. 6 (op. 49)
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke”
Recitation – Gregorij H. von Leitis
Piano – Dan Franklin Smith |
This event is by invitation only |
For further information please go to: www.project-elysium.org.
Project Elysium in Vancouver is produced von Catherine Laub |
| An event of Project Elysium |
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| |
Saturday, October 17, 2015, 8.00 pm
Pyatt Hall
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music
843 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 3L4 |
Cornet: Viktor Ullmann’s Legacy from Terezin
|
| in remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of the concentration camps |
In 1942, the Austrian-Jewish composer Viktor Ullmann was deported to the ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt north of Prague. Despite horrible circumstances, Ullmann composed a number of great works there. His artistry helped himself and gave consolation and strength to his fellow inmates. In October of 1944 Ullmann was murdered in Auschwitz. But his compositions from Theresienstadt were saved and to this day bear to Ullmann’s powerful creativity and deep humanity.
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke“ for recitation and piano is based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem of the same title. It tells the haunting story of a young soldier who – within one night – finds fullfilment in love and then dies in battle when the enemies attack the castle where he and his company are resting. The music poignantly illustrates, comments and emphasizes the dramatic action. Ullmann composed the “Cornet“ in the summer of 1944 and dedicated it to his wife Elisabeth on her birthday on September 27. Three weeks later they both were deported to Auschwitz, along with a number of artists from Theresienstadt, and killed in the gas chambers immediately after their arrival. |
Program
Introductory Lecture on Music from Theresienstadt – Michael Lahr
Piano Sonata No. 6 (op. 49)
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke”
Recitation – Gregorij H. von Leitis
Piano – Dan Franklin Smith |
| Tickets at the box office of The Cultch or by phone at +1-604-876 3434 |
For further information please go to: www.project-elysium.org.
Project Elysium in Vancouver is produced von Catherine Laub |
| An event of Project Elysium |
|
| |
Friday, October 16, 2015, at 8.00 pm
The Cultch
1895 Venables Street
Vancouver, BC V5L 2H6 |
Cornet: Viktor Ullmann’s Legacy from Terezin
|
| in remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of the concentration camps |
| In 1942, the Austrian-Jewish composer Viktor Ullmann was deported to the ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt north of Prague. Despite horrible circumstances, Ullmann composed a number of great works there. His artistry helped himself and gave consolation and strength to his fellow inmates. In October of 1944 Ullmann was murdered in Auschwitz. But his compositions from Theresienstadt were saved and to this day bear to Ullmann’s powerful creativity and deep humanity. |
| “The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke“ for recitation and piano is based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem of the same title. It tells the haunting story of a young soldier who – within one night – finds fullfilment in love and then dies in battle when the enemies attack the castle where he and his company are resting. The music poignantly illustrates, comments and emphasizes the dramatic action. Ullmann composed the “Cornet“ in the summer of 1944 and dedicated it to his wife Elisabeth on her birthday on September 27. Three weeks later they both were deported to Auschwitz, along with a number of artists from Theresienstadt, and killed in the gas chambers immediately after their arrival. |
Program
Introductory Lecture on Music from Theresienstadt – Michael Lahr
Piano Sonata No. 6 (op. 49)
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke”
Recitation – Gregorij H. von Leitis
Piano – Dan Franklin Smith |
| Tickets at the box office of The Cultch or by phone at +1-604-876 3434 |
For further information please go to: www.project-elysium.org.
Project Elysium in Vancouver is produced von Catherine Laub |
| An event of Project Elysium |
|
| |
Thursday, October 8, 2015, at 7.30 pm
Austrian Cultural Forum
11 East 52nd Street
New York, NY 10022 |
Elysium’s Academy Program for Young Singers
Ich wandle unter Blumen |
| Songs of Art Nouveau Vienna |
| Jugendstil or Art Nouveau has left a very significant mark in the appearance of Vienna. Musically the era around the turn of the 19th to the 20th century has also been extremely rich. Reflecting on the fin de siècle attitude towards life, the music became highly subjective, having a penchant for being morbid and grotesque, exotic and decadent. Copious melodies and harmonies transgressing the boundaries of tonality are typical for such composers as Franz Schreker and Alexander von Zemlinsky. |
| 20 years ago, Elysium started an Academy Program for Young Singers. Under the artistic direction of Gregorij H. von Leïtis, the annual Academy for Young Singers invited talented students whose mother tongue was not German to immerse themselves into an intensive two-week-program focusing on German-language opera and lied repertory. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of Elysium’s Academy Program for Young Singers, past participants of Elysium’s Academy will interpret songs by Alma Mahler, Franz Schreker, Erich Korngold, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Joseph Marx. |
Concept & Direction: Jeannie Im
Piano & Musical Direction: Dan Franklin Smith
With: Ruth Carver, Grace Kahl, and Bruce Rameker |
| Admission: free – However, reservations are required. To reserve tickets please go to www.acfny.org, click on events, then go to the date of October 8 |
Presented by the Austrian Cultural Forum New York
in cooperation with Elysium – between two continents and The Lahr von Leitis Academy & Archive |
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| |
Friday, June 12, 2015, at 8.00 pm
Hotel Andechser Hof
Landungssteg 1
82211 Herrsching am Ammersee / Germany |
Hate is a Failure of Imagination
|
in remembrance of the artists from Terezin and of the liberation of the concentration camps 70 years ago
under the patronage of former German Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl and Prof. Felix Kolmer, Foundation for Holocaust Victims |
| A literary collage featuring texts by Alice Herz-Sommer, Georg Kafka, Paul Aron Sandfort, Leo Strauss, Viktor Ullmann, and Ilse Weber |
The Nazis relentlessly stoked hate against the Jews. They tried to dehumanize them and degrade them to mere numbers. But the artists who were imprisoned in Theresienstadt, countered this hate – which Graham Greene so aptly described as a failure of imagination – with a powerful offensive of imagination. With their artistic fantasy, their creative power, their inventive energy they continuously proved wrong the national-socialist dictum, that Jews were sub-human and as such incapable of any real culture.
The literary collage “Hate is a Failure of Imagination“ is a testament to the power of imagination and to the profound love and humanity of the artists who were imprisoned in the ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt. |
Recitation: Gregorij H. von Leitis
Concept and Introduction: Michael Lahr |
| Admission: free – donations for Elysium’s project “Art and Education without Borders“ are welcome |
Presented by Frauenunion Herrsching
Contact: Fromuth Heene, cell phone: 0177-570 80 15, mail: fromuth.heene@live.de |
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Wednesday, June 10, 2015, at 8.00 pm
Liberal Jewish Community Munich Beth Shalom
PO Box 750 566
81335 Munich / Germany |
Hate is a Failure of Imagination
|
in remembrance of the artists from Terezin and of the liberation of the concentration camps 70 years ago
under the patronage of former German Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl and Prof. Felix Kolmer, Foundation for Holocaust Victims |
| A literary collage featuring texts by Alice Herz-Sommer, Georg Kafka, Paul Aron Sandfort, Leo Strauss, Viktor Ullmann, and Ilse Weber |
The Nazis relentlessly stoked hate against the Jews. They tried to dehumanize them and degrade them to mere numbers. But the artists who were imprisoned in Theresienstadt, countered this hate – which Graham Greene so aptly described as a failure of imagination – with a powerful offensive of imagination. With their artistic fantasy, their creative power, their inventive energy they continuously proved wrong the national-socialist dictum, that Jews were sub-human and as such incapable of any real culture.
The literary collage “Hate is a Failure of Imagination“ is a testament to the power of imagination and to the profound love and humanity of the artists who were imprisoned in the ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt. |
Recitation: Gregorij H. von Leitis
Concept and Introduction: Michael Lahr |
Admission: free – registration via e-mail is required
Please reserve tickets at office@beth-shalom.de |
| Presented by the Liberale Jüdische Gemeinde Munich Beth Shalom e.V. in cooperation with The Lahr von Leitis Academy & Archive and Elysium – between two continents |
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Tuesday, June 9, 2015, 7.30 pm
Parish Hall of St. Ursula
Kaiserplatz 13 A
80803 Munich / Germany |
After us the Deluge?
|
A literary montage
under the patronage of Meera Gandhi, President & Founder / The Giving Back Foundation |
| Featured are highly political and very personal texts by Marianne Cohn, Albert Einstein, Iacovos Kambanellis, Erwin Piscator, Karl Kraus, Jura Soyfer, Kurt Tucholsky, Franz Werfel, Tatanga Mani, Chief Seattle and others. |
| Dealing with topics such as war, religious fundamentalism, moral decay, the destruction of the environment, economic and financial crisis, and the disappearance of the Middle Class, these texts, written more than two generations ago, seem created for our own time. As in a distant mirror they reflect on urgent matters of today. The result is a vehement, moving admonition not to leave the world to the destructive logic of economics. |
Recitation: Gregorij H. von Leitis
Concept and Introduction: Michael Lahr |
| Admission free – donations for Elysium’s project “Art and Education without Borders“ are welcome |
| Presented by The Lahr von Leitis Academy & Archive and Elysium – between two continents |
| |
Tuesday, May 26, 2015, at 8.00 pm
Karl Jaspers-Haus
Unter den Eichen 22
26122 Oldenburg / Germany |
Heinrich Heine: Tell me, what does it mean to be human?
|
| A literary journey through life |
| The writer Heinrich Heine sat between many chairs: He was torn between his native country Germany and his adoptive home France. Born a Jew, he later converted to Protestantism, without ever having practiced either religion. And politically? On the one hand he was a friend of Karl Marx; on the other hand he adored Napoleon as the “ingenious executive director of the Weltgeist.” |
| Heine was a passionate champion of the ideas which today we consider to be the foundation of any democracy: the French revolutionary trio of freedom, equality and brotherhood, and of human rights. His travelogues, his poetry collections, his novels, and his political writings attest to his cosmopolitan spirit. Time and again, his curiosity prompted him to look beyond his own horizon. |
| Using famous and lesser known poems, diary entries and prose texts by Heinrich Heine, this literary journey through life spans a big arc, biographically as well as thematically. The program invites the audience to think about the existential questions of mankind. |
Recitation: Gregorij H. von Leitis
Concept and Introduction: Michael Lahr |
| Admission free |
| Presented by the Karl Jaspers-Gesellschaft e.V. |
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Thursday, May 20, 2015, at 7.00 pm
Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania
Charitéstraße 9
10117 Berlin / Germany |
Defending Democracy
|
A Meditation on Basic Democratic Values in Times of Political and Economic Insecurity
under the patronage of Kerry Kennedy, President Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights |
| Literary Collage with texts by Mahatma Gandhi, Robert F. Kennedy, Hermynia zur Mühlen, Erich Mühsam, Alfred Polgar, Carl von Ossietzky, Joseph Roth, Hans Sahl, Kurt Tucholsky, Lasantha Wikrematunge, and others |
| After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the victory parade of democracy seemed unstoppable. 25 years later, the initial euphoria has given way to great disillusionment. Globalization, rising unemployment, retrenchment in social programs, marginalization of large societal groups: all this has led to shrinking trust in democracy and its institutions. |
| Since 2008, social and economic upheavals have been further aggravated by the bank crisis and the sovereign debt crisis. The economic crisis has developed into a crisis of democracy. In many places, the expression "post-democracy" has been used. |
| Today, the Western system of an open society based in democratic values is threatened from many sides. Especially in these times of political and economic uncertainty it seems more important than ever to remind ourselves of the great achievement democracy is, and that it is worth fighting for. The program “Defending Democracy” presents texts of authors and thinkers who, in their time, fought against undermining tendencies of dissolution and the erosion of the republic by totalitarian forces. The cry for simple solutions, the longing for a strong man who liberates us from the complex trap of a globalized world, is growing louder. The program "Defending Democracy" wants to take a stand against that. |
Recitation: Gregorij H. von Leitis
Concept and Introduction: Michael Lahr |
| Info & Contact: Dr. Gabriele Zaidyte, Cultural Attachée of the Lithuanian Embassy Berlin, info-botschaft@mfa.lt |
| Presented by the Lithuanian Embassy Berlin |
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| |
Tuesday, May 12, 2015, at 6.00 pm
Primatial Palace / Mirror Hall
Primaciálne námestie 1
811 01 Bratislava / Slovakia |
Cornet: Viktor Ullmann’s Legacy from Theresienstadt
|
| in remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps |
In 1942, the Austrian-Jewish composer Viktor Ullmann was deported to the ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt north of Prague. Despite horrible circumstances, Ullmann composed a number of great works there. His artistry helped himself and gave consolation and strength to his fellow inmates. In October of 1944 Ullmann was murdered in Auschwitz. But his compositions from Theresienstadt were saved and to this day bear to Ullmann’s powerful creativity and deep humanity.
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke“ for recitation and piano is based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem of the same title. It tells the haunting story of a young soldier who – within one night – finds fullfilment in love and then dies in battle when the enemies attack the castle where he and his company are resting. The music poignantly illustrates, comments and emphasizes the dramatic action. Ullmann composed the “Cornet“ in the summer of 1944 and dedicated it to his wife Elisabeth on her birthday on September 27. Three weeks later they both were deported to Auschwitz, along with a number of artists from Theresienstadt, and killed in the gas chambers immediately after their arrival. |
Program
Introductory Lecture on Music from Theresienstadt – Michael Lahr
Piano Sonata No. 6 (op. 49)
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke”
Recitation – Gregorij H. von Leitis
Piano – Dan Franklin Smith
|
| Info & Contact: Marcela Mokranova, marcela.mokranova@bmeia.gv.at |
| Presented by the Austrian Cultural Forum Bratislava |
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| |
Thursday, May 7, 2015, at 7.00 pm
Goethe Institut
Campo dos Mártires da Pátria 37
1169-016 Lisbon / Portugal |
Cornet: Viktor Ullmann’s Legacy from Theresienstadt
|
| in remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps |
In 1942, the Austrian-Jewish composer Viktor Ullmann was deported to the ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt north of Prague. Despite horrible circumstances, Ullmann composed a number of great works there. His artistry helped himself and gave consolation and strength to his fellow inmates. In October of 1944 Ullmann was murdered in Auschwitz. But his compositions from Theresienstadt were saved and to this day bear to Ullmann’s powerful creativity and deep humanity.
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke“ for recitation and piano is based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem of the same title. It tells the haunting story of a young soldier who – within one night – finds fullfilment in love and then dies in battle when the enemies attack the castle where he and his company are resting. The music poignantly illustrates, comments and emphasizes the dramatic action. Ullmann composed the “Cornet“ in the summer of 1944 and dedicated it to his wife Elisabeth on her birthday on September 27. Three weeks later they both were deported to Auschwitz, along with a number of artists from Theresienstadt, and killed in the gas chambers immediately after their arrival. |
Program
Introductory Lecture on Music from Theresienstadt – Michael Lahr
Piano Sonata No. 6 (op. 49)
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke”
Recitation – Gregorij H. von Leitis
Piano – Dan Franklin Smith |
| Info & Contact: Manuel Malzbender, manuel.malzbender@bmeia.gv.at |
| Presented by the Embassy of the Republic of Austria in Portugal |
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| |
Tuesday, May 5, 2015, at 6.00 pm
Jewish Museum
Skolas iela 6
1010 Riga / Latvia |
Cornet: Viktor Ullmann’s Legacy from Theresienstadt
|
| in remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps |
In 1942, the Austrian-Jewish composer Viktor Ullmann was deported to the ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt north of Prague. Despite horrible circumstances, Ullmann composed a number of great works there. His artistry helped himself and gave consolation and strength to his fellow inmates. In October of 1944 Ullmann was murdered in Auschwitz. But his compositions from Theresienstadt were saved and to this day bear to Ullmann’s powerful creativity and deep humanity.
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke“ for recitation and piano is based on Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem of the same title. It tells the haunting story of a young soldier who – within one night – finds fullfilment in love and then dies in battle when the enemies attack the castle where he and his company are resting. The music poignantly illustrates, comments and emphasizes the dramatic action. Ullmann composed the “Cornet“ in the summer of 1944 and dedicated it to his wife Elisabeth on her birthday on September 27. Three weeks later they both were deported to Auschwitz, along with a number of artists from Theresienstadt, and killed in the gas chambers immediately after their arrival. |
Program
Introductory Lecture on Music from Theresienstadt – Michael Lahr
Piano Sonata No. 6 (op. 49)
“The Lay of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke”
Recitation – Gregorij H. von Leitis
Piano – Dan Franklin Smith |
| Info & Contact: Thomas Rouzanova, ku-10@riga.diplo.de |
| Presented by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Latvia |
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| |
Thursday, April 30, 2015, at 11.00 am
Center of Tolerance Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum
Naugarduko g. 10/2
01141 Vilnius / Lithuania |
Defending Democracy
|
A Meditation on Basic Democratic Values in Times of Political and Economic Insecurity
under the patronage of Kerry Kennedy, President Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights |
| Literary Collage with texts by Mahatma Gandhi, Robert F. Kennedy, Hermynia zur Mühlen, Erich Mühsam, Alfred Polgar, Carl von Ossietzky, Joseph Roth, Hans Sahl, Kurt Tucholsky, Lasantha Wikrematunge, and others |
| After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the victory parade of democracy seemed unstoppable. 25 years later, the initial euphoria has given way to great disillusionment. Globalization, rising unemployment, retrenchment in social programs, marginalization of large societal groups: all this has led to shrinking trust in democracy and its institutions. |
| Since 2008, social and economic upheavals have been further aggravated by the bank crisis and the sovereign debt crisis. The economic crisis has developed into a crisis of democracy. In many places, the expression "post-democracy" has been used. |
| Today, the Western system of an open society based in democratic values is threatened from many sides. Especially in these times of political and economic uncertainty it seems more important than ever to remind ourselves of the great achievement democracy is, and that it is worth fighting for. The program “Defending Democracy” presents texts of authors and thinkers who, in their time, fought against undermining tendencies of dissolution and the erosion of the republic by totalitarian forces. The cry for simple solutions, the longing for a strong man who liberates us from the complex trap of a globalized world, is growing louder. The program "Defending Democracy" wants to take a stand against that. |
Recitation: Gregorij H. von Leitis
Concept and Introduction: Michael Lahr |
| Admission free – Contact: Ieva Sadzeviciene, ieva.sadzeviciene@jmuseum.lt |
| Presented by the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum |
 |
| Generously funded by DAAD German Academic Exchange Service |
 |
| Additional support by the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta |
| |
Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at 4.00 pm
Vytautas Magnus University
Auditorium – 4th floor
K. Donelaicio Street 52
44244 Kaunas / Lithuania |
Defending Democracy
|
A Meditation on Basic Democratic Values in Times of Political and Economic Insecurity
under the patronage of Kerry Kennedy, President Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights |
| Literary Collage with texts by Mahatma Gandhi, Robert F. Kennedy, Hermynia zur Mühlen, Erich Mühsam, Alfred Polgar, Carl von Ossietzky, Joseph Roth, Hans Sahl, Kurt Tucholsky, Lasantha Wikrematunge, and others |
| After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the victory parade of democracy seemed unstoppable. 25 years later, the initial euphoria has given way to great disillusionment. Globalization, rising unemployment, retrenchment in social programs, marginalization of large societal groups: all this has led to shrinking trust in democracy and its institutions. |
| Since 2008, social and economic upheavals have been further aggravated by the bank crisis and the sovereign debt crisis. The economic crisis has developed into a crisis of democracy. In many places, the expression "post-democracy" has been used. |
| Today, the Western system of an open society based in democratic values is threatened from many sides. Especially in these times of political and economic uncertainty it seems more important than ever to remind ourselves of the great achievement democracy is, and that it is worth fighting for. The program “Defending Democracy” presents texts of authors and thinkers who, in their time, fought against undermining tendencies of dissolution and the erosion of the republic by totalitarian forces. The cry for simple solutions, the longing for a strong man who liberates us from the complex trap of a globalized world, is growing louder. The program "Defending Democracy" wants to take a stand against that. |
Recitation: Gregorij H. von Leitis
Concept and Introduction: Michael Lahr |
| Admission free – Contact: Christian Irsfeld, DAAD-Lektor, ch.irsfeld@hmf.vdu.lt |
| Presented by the Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas |
 |
| Generously funded by the DAAD German Academic Exchange Service |
|
| |
Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at 12.00 noon
The Lotos Club
5 East 66th Street
New York, NY 10065 |
| 28th Annual Erwin Piscator Award |
| Luncheon to benefit our International Educational Programs |
Honoring John Guare (Erwin Piscator Award 2015) for his invaluable contributions to the American theatre as a truly original and innovative playwright who keeps pushing the boundaries of the theatre, disrupting the so-called “realistic theatre” to better reflect the chaotic state of the world,
and philanthropists Robert J. Campbell and Cesare L. Santeramo (Erwin Piscator Honorary Award 2015 in memory of Maria Ley Piscator) for their extraordinary life-long commitment to support the arts and culture and for their tireless efforts to help young singers in establishing their careers. |
John Guare will be introduced by Anne Cattaneo,
Robert J. Campbell and Cesare L. Santeramo will be introduced by Luna Kaufman. |
Admission: $ 325 (tickets are tax-deductible for the full amount less $ 85)
To receive an invitation please contact  Michael Lahr |
| |
Tuesday, January 27, 2015, at 7.30 pm
Austrian Cultural Forum
11 East 52nd Street
New York City |
| As if… Cabaret and Satire from Terezin |
| In Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust |
This musical-literary collage is a testimony to the creative energy, imagination and humanity of cabaret artist Leo Strauss. Deprived of everything, he and other inmates of Theresienstadt still found the strength to be artistically active. In Theresienstadt – this vestibule of hell – cabaret was of particular importance in helping people: cabaret absorbed the shock of deportation, cabaret let the inmates escape into a dream world.
The texts by Leo Strauss, Hans Hofer, Willy Rosen, Theodor Otto Beer and others are complemented by selections from operettas, mainly by Oscar Straus, the father of Leo Strauss.
Narrator Gregorij H. von Leitis will be accompanied at the piano by Dan Franklin Smith. |
Admission: free; however reservations are required.
For reservations please go to www.acfny.org |
| The program is presented in cooperation with the Austrian Cultural Forum, The Lahr von Leitis Academy & Archive, and Elysium – between two continents |
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| More information on the readings and literary collages you find under Projects. |
