International Premiere
Music Under the Swastika — The Maestro and the Cellist of Auschwitz
Christian Berger
Trailer
Best Portrait Prize, FIFA 2023
Some symbols associated with the Nazi invasion are found in the archives of this film and therefore some scenes may be difficult to see for some people, we prefer to warn you.
Discover the fates of two musicians during the Third Reich: Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and Wilhelm Furtwängler. Lasker-Wallfisch survives as a cellist in Auschwitz, while the famous conductor Furtwängler tries in vain to preserve his integrity and finally surrenders in a pact with the devil. The journalist and director Christian Berger shows how closely German high culture and the hell of Auschwitz are linked. Experience an emotional journey with footage that has been digitally restored to high resolution and carefully colourized for the first time to make history tangible and bear witness to one of its most tragic periods.
Some symbols associated with the Nazi invasion are found in the archives of this film and therefore some scenes may be difficult to see for some people, we prefer to warn you.
Discover the fates of two musicians during the Third Reich: Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and Wilhelm Furtwängler. Lasker-Wallfisch survives as a cellist in Auschwitz, while the famous conductor Furtwängler tries in vain to preserve his integrity and finally surrenders in a pact with the devil. The journalist and director Christian Berger shows how closely German high culture and the hell of Auschwitz are linked. Experience an emotional journey with footage that has been digitally restored to high resolution and carefully colourized for the first time to make history tangible and bear witness to one of its most tragic periods.
| Director | Christian Berger |
| Author | Christian Berger |
| Archive Videos | Linn Sackarnd |
| Production Manager | Mária Géczi, Gesine Krüger |
| Executive Production | Tim Klimes, Rolf Rische, Frauke Sandig |
| Editing | Janine Dauterich |
| Colorization | Francois Montpellier |
| Narration | Robin Merill |
| Sound mixing | Rapp Cornelius |
| Cinematographer | Johannes Imdahl |
| Music | Marcus Zahn |
In Partnership with
Session
• Cinéma du Musée - Auditorium Maxwell-Cummings
Friday, march 17, 2023, 03:00 p.m. — 04:30 p.m.
Image tirée du film Music Under the Swastika — The Maestro and the Cellist of Auschwitz // Image from the film Music Under the Swastika — The Maestro and the Cellist of Auschwitz
Production
Christian Berger
Christian Berger is a journalist and director of documentary films. Over the last decade, he has directed music documentaries with stars like Simon Rattle, Paavo Järvi and Teodor Currentzis. His most successful films to date are “Beethoven’s Ninth – Symphony for the World” as well as “Mission Mozart” with Lang Lang, the Vienna Philharmonic and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. His first feature length documentary as a director was “The Beethoven Project” in 2010. Christian was born in the German city of Stuttgart. He has been working in various areas of the media industry since 1991.
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Biographical notes provided by the film production team
Other films:
The Impossible Orchestra (2020)
Beethoven’s Ninth: Symphony for the World (2019)
The Brahms Code (2019)
La Maestra (2018)
Mission Mozart (2014)
The Impossible Orchestra (2020)
Beethoven’s Ninth: Symphony for the World (2019)
The Brahms Code (2019)
La Maestra (2018)
Mission Mozart (2014)
