There were 11 inmates orchestras operating in Auschwitz-Birkenau, whose main purpose was to play march music in order hasten the marching of prisoners work details out to work and then back to the camp. Two of these orchestras operated in Birkenau. One of them was a women’s band set up in 1943, and one of its conductors was a violinist of the highest standard, Alma Rosé. The other was a men’s orchestra, set up at the request of Lagerführer Johann Schwarzhuber in August 1942, and its conductor for a time was the outstanding musician and composer, Szymon Laks. Although works by Polish and Jewish composers were forbidden in the camp, exceptional situations did occur when their music was played.
In 1944, in Birkenau, Alma Rosé prepared for voice and orchestra the melody by Frédéric Chopin’s known under the title Sadness or Tristesse (based on Etude E, Op. 10, No. 3), and ‘Chopin in Birkenau’ is an attempt at the reconstruction of this piece played illegaly by women’s orchestra.
“Notes from Birkenau” are Warsaw Polonaises recorded according to the instrumentation prepared by Szymon Laks for the instruments in his band in Birkenau. Conducted by him band, risking harassment or death, decided to play these prohibited in the camp music.
