A musical refutation of Adorno’s dictum that to write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric, inspired by the creativity of composer Mieczysław Weinberg in the face of totalitarian brutality from both Hitler and Stalin. The programme also includes music by his Russian friends Dmitri Shostakovich, Georgy Sviridov and Nikolai Myaskovsky, the Ukrainian Boris Lyatoshynsky and the Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz, as well as young French-Jewish composer Olivier Milhaud’s music on the writings of Avrom Sutzkever, whose poetry saw life and beauty amidst the atrocities of the Vilno ghetto.

The performance was created by and stars internationally renowned singer Mark Glanville, author of The Goldberg Variations, and Israeli pianist Marc Verter, previously artistic director of the Chelsea Schubert Festival.

After studying Classics at Oxford University and singing at the RNCM, Mark performed as Bass soloist for Opera North, Scottish Opera, Lisbon Opera, Israeli Opera, Opera Zuid, and in concert with Yehudi Menuhin, Daniele Gatti, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, David Willcocks. His Yiddish Winterreise was performed at Kennedy Center, Leeds Lieder Festival, Purcell Room and recorded for Naxos. He returned to Kennedy Center 2016 for Wandering Stars. Citizen of Nowhere, Mieczysław Weinberg songs, was performed at Purcell Room, Israeli Opera, Polin Museum Warsaw, released by Challenge in 2023. His memoir, The Goldberg Variations, was shortlisted for the Wingate Prize for Jewish Literature.

Marc Verter is a collaborative pianist, vocal coach and repetiteur. Marc was the artistic director for over five years at the Chelsea Schubert Festival. Previous opera engagements have included Aix en Provence festival, Opera pa Skeret programme in Sweden and Dartington festival in the UK. He has performed at music festivals in Israel, North America and Europe and has played for such internationally renowned singers as Yvonne Kenny, Jonathan Lemalu, Nelly Miricioiu, Kate Royal, Sarah Walker, Mark Glanville and and Israeli star soprano Chen Reiss. He is currently on the staff of the vocal department at the Guildhall School of Music. Through his doctoral studies Marc has examined the musical settings of Charles Baudelaire’s poetry and runs a salon concert series recreating the glamour of the 19th century. Marc was born and raised in Israel and returns there regularly to work and perform.