A little Piece of History

The mezzo-soprano Helene Schneiderman has been a member of the ensemble at the Stuttgart Staatsoper for many years. Ulla Sachse loves her and her voice. So when the CD with her singing Yiddish songs, sensitively accompanied by Götz Payer at the piano, was released in 2013 by us at Carus-Verlag, Ulla Sachse bought herself a copy straight away. Only at second glance did she come to realize what a moving story les behind these recordings…

The mezzo-soprano Helene Schneiderman has been a member of the ensemble at the Stuttgart Staatsoper for many years. I love her and her voice, and have seen and heard her numerous times in opera productions and song recitals. So when this CD with her singing Yiddish songs, sensitively accompanied by Götz Payer at the piano, was released in 2013 by us at Carus-Verlag, I bought myself a copy straight away. Only at second glance did I come to realize what a moving story les behind these recordings. Helene Schneiderman writes: “As a child I felt that there was something very special about these songs, but only much later did I really grasp the melancholy of these melodies and the power of these words. Much of what my parents could not describe to us in words about their terrible experiences during the Holocaust can be heard through these songs.”

Her parents Judith and Paul Schneiderman narrowly survived the Nazi reign of terror in various concentration camps, but lost the most of their families in the Holocaust. Judith Schneiderman has written her unbelievable story in the book “I Sang to Survive. A Story of Hope and Human Kindness” (Recollections of Rachov, Auschwitz and a new beginning in America). Helene Schneiderman was able to realise the dream which her mother had, namely that of becoming a singer. She has dedicated this CD to her parents. I am happy to listen to it again and again, and for me that is a way of ensuring that this part of our history never falls into oblivion. Especially in times like these.