Press release 21.04.2023
Press release from the Lüneburg University Society and the Lüneburg Museum Foundation.
The award ceremony commemorates the famous rescue of a Polish pianist by a German officer in 1944 ( known from the film 'The Pianist').
Lüneburg. On 17 November 1944, a German officer discovers a pianist of Jewish origin in his hiding place in Warsaw. Instead of shooting him, he takes care of him and saves his life. Today, a prize for memory culture projects is named after these two men: the Hosenfeld-Szpilman Prize. This year it went to the Krzyżowa-Music Chamber Music Festival.
Festival director Ph.D. Matthias von Hülsen came to the award ceremony in the Libeskind Building at Leuphana University Lüneburg together with four long-time participants of the Krzyżowa-Music Festival: Miriam Helms Ålien (violin), Pablo Barragán (clarinet), Alexey Stadler (cello) and Amadeus Wiesensee (piano).
"You give us hope," said political scientist Prof. Dr. Gesine Schwan in her laudation towards the musicians. "They unwaveringly believe in the peaceful and joy-giving power of music. Music is the royal road to understanding." Reconciliation in Europe after the German war of aggression would not have been possible without the generosity of neighbouring countries. A "courageous confrontation with guilt" is needed. The Chamber Music Festival aims to overcome the legacy of suffering and prejudice.
Schwan called the meeting between German officer Wilm Hosenfeld and Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman "a deeply moving and comforting human encounter". After the soldier discovered the Jew in his hiding place in Warsaw, he provided him with clothing, blankets and food for weeks. When Hosenfeld himself became a prisoner of war, Szpilman tried to free his saviour. He was unsuccessful. Hosenfeld died in a camp in Stalingrad in 1952.
Read more: Music against oblivion: Krzyżowa-Music receives the Hosenfeld-Szpilman Prize 2023
Are borders real or do they only exist in our minds? Is it possible to imagine a world without borders?
Have you ever had difficulties crossing a border?`
These are just a few of the many questions about migration, borders and identity that the exhibition
"JAZDA!" asks. As part of the project "Remembering Together - Shaping the Future", it was
developed last year by 25 voluntary service workers. The project was organised by the Museum
Friedland, the Fondation du Camp des Milles and the Kreisau Foundation for European
Understanding and took place in 2022.
August 20 marks the beginning of the 9th edition of the Krzyzowa-Music Festival. Music for Europe. Once again the sounds of classical music will resound in the concert halls of Lower Silesia. They will be performed by world-renowned musicians and talented juniors. This year's summer concerts are scheduled in Krzyzowa, Świdnica, Szczawno-Zdrój, Jawor and Wroclaw.
We invite you now to the concerts and symposia organized as part of the ninth edition of the festival from August 20 to September 3, 2023.
The Artistic Council of the Konrad and Paweł Jarodzki Artist-in-Residence Programme (Bożena Grzyb-Jarodzka, Renata Jarodzka, Rafał Jarodzki, Anna Kudarewska, Zbigniew Libera, Dorota Monkiewicz, Ruth Noack, Joanna Sokołowska, Vera Zalutskaya) has selected artists to participate in the upcoming edition of the programme in September and October 2023. The work of the Council is supported by the Permanent Guests: Maryna and Michal Czaplinski. Joanna Sokolowska is the curator of the programme.
The following artists have been selected for the programme: Ulufer Çelik, Daniel Mikulski, Andrea Pichl, Jacek Zachodny.