Entartete Seelen

In this programme, RCMS highlights artists who were affected by the destructive hand of the Nazi regime. In various formations, from vocal or violin solo to septet, we will hear music by Schuijer, Smit Sibinga, Kattenburg, Hermann, Weigl, Van Delden and Berg. Although these composers were all from different backgrounds, all their music was stamped ‘Entartet’ in the late 1930s.

Hitler's seizure of power in 1933 ended the flourishing, pluralistic cultural landscape of the Weimar Republic. Suddenly, every art form had to be stripped - ent-artet - of anything that did not fit within the ‘Germanic’ spirit. The term 'entartet' was used by the Nazis to brand all cultural expressions that according to them showed signs of national decline or decadence. Modernist music such as dodecaphony, atonality or jazz was banned. An exhibition specifically around ‘entartete music’ was set up in Düsseldorf in 1938. The composers who were ostracized in it emigrated, were deported, most of them eventually perished and almost all fell into oblivion after the war.

A string sextet and a soprano will alternately celebrate the life's work of as 'entartet' labelled composers at the time. Come and enjoy the innovative vision and free musical minds of Samuel Schuijer, Theo Smit Sibinga, Dick Kattenburg, Paul Hermann, Karl Weigl, Lex van Delden and Alban Berg.

With Frank de Groot, Robin Veldkamp - violin ; Lisa Eggen, Gabriel Torner - viola ; Wytske Holtrop, Emma Warmelink – cello ; Simone Riksman - soprano