Austrian premiere of Zu Ejns, Zwai, Drai

Wednesday, April 9, 2025 – 19:00
Palais Ehrbar – Kleiner Ehrbar Saal, Mühlgasse 30, 1040 Wien
Free admission | Registration required

Konzertreihe „Echo des Unerhörten“ | 09. April 2025 | Wilhelm Grosz und Walter Würzburger

Violinist Eva Lucia Schmölzer and pianist Keiko Kamada present a poignant program featuring works for violin and piano by exiled composers Wilhelm Grosz and Walter Würzburger. While Grosz’s music bridges lush late-Romantic textures and jazz influences, Würzburger’s language combines expressive harmony with a clear formal sense—music of powerful, personal clarity.

The evening also marks the Vienna premiere of my solo violin work:

Zu Ejns, Zwai, Drai

For solo violin – Duration: 5 minutes

Zu Ejns, Zwai, Drai is based on a song born in the concentration camps of the National Socialist regime—sung in Yiddish, it expressed hope and resilience in the face of inhumanity. The melody and lyrics were preserved by the German-Dutch composer and conductor Hans Krieg, a survivor of Westerbork and Bergen-Belsen.

The song speaks of living with purpose and courage—a quiet act of defiance through song. In this solo violin setting, I have aimed to reflect the haunting tenderness of the original melody alongside the deep inner strength it carried for those who sang it.

This composition forms part of the musical memorial drama Yom Kippoer 1942: The Last Prayer, and was first performed on October 19, 2024, at the Grote- of Mariakerk in Meppel, The Netherlands. It was written for and premiered by Austrian violinist Eva Lucia Schmölzer, who will once again bring it to life in this performance.

Moderation:

Gerold Gruber – Founder of exil.arte and Director of the Exilarte Center at mdw