THE UK premiere of the Defiant Requiem at Durham Cathedral, telling the remarkable story of how courageous Jewish prisoners of Terezin Concentration Camp mounted performances of Verdi’s Catholic mass, had an added poignancy coming a day after Holocaust Memorial Day.
And its message still has a relevance, the Dean of Durham reminded a capacity audience in his welcoming address as he alluded to President Trump's controversial travel ban.
“On a day an executive order has been has been signed in the United States banning refugees from selected countries solely on religious grounds, these words could not have greater weight or resonance,” the Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett said to spontaneous applause.
What followed was a gripping account, with concert-drama creator Murry Sidlin presiding overthe Durham Choral Society and Durham University Chamber Choir and Orchestral Society, along with a stellar line up of soloists.
The oratorio was interspersed with video footage of Holocaust survivors’ accounts and contemporary Nazi propaganda footage. Ali Pritchard spoke the part of taking the part of Raphael Schachter, who used a smuggled score and single piano to organise a 150-strong choir in the Nazi camp.
They managed to perform the work 16 times, constantly changing the chorus as prisoners were transferred to Auschwitz - most going straight to gas chambers.
Schachter told his performers: “We will sing to the Nazis what we cannot say to them”. At the core of the oratorio is the Dies Irae, with its message “nothing shall remain unavenged”.
The cathedral audience was transfixed as the chorus hurled out their lines with unbridled passion.
The lecturer was spoken by Jane Arnfield, known for her part in the Tin Ring, while an out-of-tune piano played by Alison Gill, evoked the only instrument the camp prisoners had.
The concert concluded with the performers filing out one by one, until only a violin remained with voices floating ethereally into the distance, followed by a period of silence. It was profoundly moving experience and fitting tribute to the Terezin prisoners who refused to let their spirits be crushed.
Gavin Engelbrecht
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