Kamp!-Song and Satire from the “Paradise Ghetto” Theresienstadt
A Staged Performance
Analekta AN28789
World Jewish Congress

Sergei Dreznin (pianno), Amelia DeMayo, Curt Buckler
Elebash Recital Hall, The Graduate Center, New York
April 2015
http://thesegalcenter.org/event/kamp-song-and-satire-from-the-paradise-ghetto-theresienstadt/

01. Come Right In! (Leo Strauss / Gerhard Bronner)
02. Maria Theresia the Empress (Schlesinger / Sergei Dreznin after La Marseillaise)
03. Theresienstadt Nursery Rhyme (Ilse Weber)
04. Letter To My Child (Ilse Weber / Sergei Dreznin)
05. Theresienstadt March (Karel Švenk)
06. Theresienstadt Questions (Leo Strauss / Sergei Dreznin)
07. A Rumor Goes Through Town (Walter Lindenbaum / Gerhard Bronner)
08. Reco (Theodor Otto Beer after Ralph Benatsky)
09. Ghetto Guard (Theodor Otto Beer / Kurt Klauber)
10. A Suitcase Speaks (Ilse Weber / Sergei Dreznin)
11. The Theater Ticket (Hans Hoffer / Gerhard Bronner)
12. Mr. Sauer, Mr. Green (Unknown after popular cabaret by Armin Berg)
13. The Chefs Are Coming (Leo Straus / after Oscar Straus' operetta "The Chocolate Soldier)
14. And the Music Plays Along (Walter Lindenbaum after Fred Raymond)
15. Just As Though (Leo Straus after Alexander Steinbrecher's "Two from Ottakring / Sergei Dreznin)
16. St. Louis Blues (W. C. Handy / Sergei Dreznin)
17. The Little Café (Walter Lindenbaum after Hermann Leopoldi)
18. Down in Prater (Leo Straus / Otto Stutecky)
19. The Sheep of Lidice (Ilse Weber / Gerhard Bronner)
20. Theresienstadt currency (Leo Strauss / Sergei Dreznin)
21. The Butterfly (Pavel Friedmann / Gerhard Bronner)
22. They seek one another (Kopper / Sergei Dreznin)
23. Carousel (Manfred Greifenhagen / Martin Roman)
24. Potato peeler (Ilse Weber / Sergei Dreznin) by Sandra Kreisler
25. Our Dear Old Cabaret! (Frieda Rosenthal / Gregory Fridlider & Sergei Dreznin) by Isabelle Georges, David Kruger, Olivier Ruidavet

Join Sergei Dreznin and actors Amelia DeMayo and Curt Buckler for a rare performance of songs and satire written and once performed by Europe’s cabaret stars imprisoned in Terezín. Theresienstadt, as it was known in Germany, was a model concentration camp 40 miles north of Prague created by the Nazis specifically for prominent Jews and intended to deceive the international press. Among the many Terezín prisoners were Leo Baeck, chief rabbi of Germany; Kurt Gerron, who performed opposite Marlene Dietrich in “The Blue Angel”; musician Karel Ancerl, who survived to become the conductor of the Czech and Toronto Symphonies; Jazz pianist Martin Roman, the leader of the inmate group “The Ghetto Swingers,” and many stars of the Czech and Viennese cabaret scene. Although not a death camp, 33,000 out of its 140,000 inmates died there and 87,000 were transported to death camps elsewhere. This performance, followed by a discussion, will offer unique insight into the extraordinary struggle for survival through humor and song. All lyrics translated by Thomas and Caren Neile.
Sergei Dreznin, a graduate of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow (as a composer) and the Russian Academy of Music (as a pianist); well-known for his collaboration with violinist Gidon Kremer, his unusual interpretations and new versions of classical piano works, and his own highly original approach to music theater; has produced thirteen shows; Amelia DeMayo and Curt Buckler, performing musical and opera across the US.

En 1941, les nazis décidèrent de transformer la forteresse de Theresienstadt en un camp de transit pour les Juifs des pays tchèques occupés par les Allemands. Dans des conditions intolérables, certains des artistes prisonniers ont fait ce qu'ils font de mieux: divertir. Dans les greniers et les caves, initialement dans une stricte confidentialité, certains des plus célèbres artistes des cabarets d'Europe, avec l'aide d’autres prisonniers, ont écrit et interprété des satires tant au sujet des nazis que des détenus. En Octobre 1992, une histoire de l’épisode de Theresienstadt a été mise en scène, une production à la fois dramatique et ironique pour trois interprètes - homme, femme et pianiste. Toutes les paroles, poèmes et la plupart des compositions musicales de cette production et du présent enregistrement ont été écrits, adaptés et joués par les détenus de Theresienstadt entre 1942 et 1944.