Kaddish
Bernstein, Weill, Schönberg

Schönberg, Weill, Bernstein - In memory of the persecuted and downtrodden of this world. Arnold Schönberg, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein - three Jewish fates, three eminent, albeit very different, 20th century composers. Schönberg and Weill, both born in Europe and forced to emigrate after the National Socialists seized power, went on to develop rather contrasting forms of musical expression in their American exile, with Schönberg continuing steadily on the path of atonality which he had initially embarked on in Europe. Weill found a new direction as a Broadway musical composer and could well be considered as a predecessor of Leonard Bernstein. Arnold Schönberg, in turn, was an important paragon for the aspiring composer Kurt Weill who for a while considered studying under Schönberg in Vienna. The plan fell through due to Weill lacking the financial means to cover the expensive private lessons.