by tskzOn August 29, at 7:00 pm, as part of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto, we invite you together with the co-organizers: The Grand Theater in Lodz and the Jewish Religious Community in Lodz, to a festive concert to be held at the Grand Theater in Lodz.
With a concert commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto, we wish to honor in a special and dignified manner the thousands of Jews who were murdered in the Ghetto organized within the city of Łódź or were transported to concentration camps and cruelly killed there. Over 200,000 Jews passed through the Litzmannstadt Ghetto during World War II, and it is estimated that no more than 7,000 to 12,000 may have survived, though this number has never been confirmed. August 29 is a symbolic date because, on this day, the last transports of Łódź Jews left directly for the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. The memory of these days and people is a special tribute from the inhabitants of Łódź, who can commemorate the victims of Nazi Germany in this only possible way today.
The concert, which will be presented by the Grand Theatre in Łódź on August 29, 2024, will include, among others, songs from the Łódź ghetto specially arranged for the concert for several choirs and orchestra. Andrzej Seweryn and Milena Lisiecka will read excerpts from ghetto diaries and Chava Rosenfarb’s novel “The Tree of Life.” Cantor Benjamin Muller will sing, among others, Samuel Malawsky’s “Av Horachamim” with the participation of a male choir, pianist Julia Kociuban will perform Alexander Tansman’s “Hebrew Rhapsody,” and the famous violinist Leila Josefowicz will play, accompanied by the Grand Theatre Orchestra in Łódź under the baton of Rafał Janiak, the second part of Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26. The concert will conclude with Wojciech Kilar’s expressive vocal-symphonic poem “Exodus,” based on a short theme derived from Jewish folklore. Considering the special significance of the event, the exceptional artistic value of the program, and the unique nature of the concert, we encourage you to watch it. The concert will also be available via VOD on the “Drzwi do Kultury” portal.
Honorary Patronage:
Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Hanna Wróblewska
Marshal of the Łódź Voivodeship, Joanna Skrzydlewska
Mayor of the City of Łódź, Hanna Zdanowska
Concert Organizers:
Grand Theatre in Łódź
Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland
Jewish Religious Community in Łódź
Event Partners:
Marek Edelman Dialogue Center
Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum in Łódź
Admission to the concert is free. Ticket reservations can be made by phone at the Audience Service Office – tel. 42 633 31 86 or by email – widz@teatr-wielki.lodz.pl (please provide name, surname, and phone number, max. 2 people per reservation). Tickets can be collected from August 6 to August 14 at the Audience Service Office, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
CAST:
Leila Josefowicz – violin
Julia Kociuban – piano
Benjamin Muller – cantor
Patrycja Krzeszowska – soprano
Arkadiusz Anyszka – baritone
Milena Lisiecka – actress
Andrzej Seweryn – actor
Aleksy Kokot – soprano, Warsaw Children’s Choir
Clil Jewish Choir
Children and Youth Choir of the Grand Theatre in Łódź
Grand Theatre Choir in Łódź
Łódź Grand Theatre Orchestra
Conductor – Rafał Janiak
Katarzyna Sanocka – concert host
Piotr Krasnowolski – concert host (translator / English language)
We encourage you to check out the program for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto: https://www.centrumdialogu.com/en/commemoration-program
