Internationally Renowned Musician
Marks 70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht
The Star-Ledger online: NJ.com
November 10, 2008

“Audience members gathered at the Holocaust Education Resource Center in Morristown to witness the opening event in a week of Holocaust Remembrance. The commemoration included a candle-lighting ceremony and a musical performance by the internationally renowned concert pianist Teresa Walters. 

Dr. Walters performed a composition by holocaust survivor Karel Berman entitled Reminiscences 1938-1945. Prior to her performance, Walters offered insights into the piece and explained that it had been written during Berman’s time as a prisoner in the concentration camps. 

Walters noted that the piece, Suite for Piano, represents the composer’s musical autobiography. She added that each section of the suite describes an event in Berman’s life experience. The pianist said that she found the following movements particularly moving: Home, Auschwitz – Corpse Factory, Alone- Alone! and the finale: New Life.

The audience, which included several Holocaust survivors and their familes, was visibly moved by the powerful performance. Walters said that it was an honor for her to perform for the 70th Anniversary of Kristallnacht. She noted that her research into appropriate music led her to discover the music of this gifted composer. “There is a priceless worth to this music that far surpasses the notes upon the page,” she said. “This music speaks to all the world an eternal message of the triumph of the human spirit.” 

Walters believes that Berman’s music deserves a wider audience and explained that she would be performing his music nationally and internationally in her concert tours this season.” 

Return to Feature Articles