Young musicians Violetta Adamova and Lev Bogino will perform music for two violins by Dick Kattenburg (1919-1944) and Géza Frid (1904-1989). Both composers were Jewish and their music was forbidden during the Second World War. The Hungarian Géza Frid – pupil of Kodály and Bartók – was one of the key figures in the post-war Dutch music world. To escape the dictatorship of his country of origin, he fled to the Netherlands in 1927. As of 1941, Frid as a stateless Jew, was prohibited from performing in public. He became involved in illegal activities and the artists’ resistance movement, and it’s a miracle he survived the war. Dick Kattenburg was extremely talented. It was obvious that he would enjoy a flourishing career as a violinist for years to come. Even today, some seventy years later, his appealing music immediately touches the heart. A large part of his oeuvre was created during his period in hiding. He was murdered at the age of 24.

Both Violetta Adamova and Lev Bogino study violin at the Utrecht Conservatory. Violetta is first violinist of the Pasiphaë Quartet, Lev is first violinist of the Florestan Ensemble. Carine Alders, musicologist of the Leo Smit Foundation, will introduce the two composers and their work.

Websit Leo Smit Foundation www.forbiddenmusicregained.org