The Mischlinge Exposé

The Mischlinge Exposé focuses on the complexities of being neither Jewish nor Aryan in Nazi Germany and before, using beautiful music and original video to illustrate the struggle between assimilation and cultural identity.

After the Nuremberg laws imposed labels on so many human beings, were they still able to choose their paths? Carolyn’s Mischlinge Exposé weaves a multimedia tapestry around a little-known aspect of the Holocaust: the Mischlinge (a derogatory Nazi term for those neither fully Jewish nor fully Aryan). Interweaving video and audio testimony from Carolyn’s godmother and her father, (both labeled Mischling, Grade A by the Nazis), with the music of German-Jewish-born composers from the salon period just before the war, the program vividly illustrates what it was like to be between worlds in Germany in the first half of the 20th century.

Program:
Felix Mendelssohn
Three Songs without Words
Op. 19, No. 6 “Venetianisches Gondellied” 1809-1847
Op. 30, No. 6 “Venetianisches Gondellied”
Op. 19, No. 1

Alexander Zemlinsky
Albumblatt “Erinnerungen aus Wien”

Hanns Eisler
Sonatine, Op. 44 “Gradus ad Parnassum”
I. Andante 1898-1962
II. Allegretto scherzando
III. Larghetto
IV. Allegro comodo

Paul Ben-Haim
Five Pieces for Piano, Op. 34
Canzonetta

Sechs Kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19 Arnold Schoenberg
I. Leicht, zart
II. Langsam
III. Sehr langsam
IV. Rasch, aber leicht
V. Etwas rasch
VI. Sehr langsam

Biography
Pianist Carolyn Engerhas gained critical acclaim for her lyrical and dynamic playing, her deeply felt interpretations of works from Beethoven and Schubert to contemporary music, and her warm personal approach. In addition to an active performance schedule, Ms. Enger has enjoyed remarkable success as a recording artist, particularly with her 2013 release of piano music by Ned Rorem on Naxos Records. Renowned critic Laurence Vittes wrote in his review for Gramophone ​ (2/2014): “Enger raises the miniatures to a higher level by taking the time and care to capture the emotional impact each must have had when their dedicatees read their inscription and title, and then heard the music for the first time.” The album was selected as one of the “Best in Classical Recordings” by The New York Times:

Among the 90th-birthday tributes this year to the essential American composer Ned Rorem, this recording especially stands out. The fine pianist Carolyn Enger plays Mr. Rorem’s complete Piano Album I, published in 2003, a collection of tender yet pungent miniatures written for friends, intimates and personal occasions from 1978 to 2001. ​ -Anthony Tommasini, 12/2013

Ms. Enger’s latest creation, The Mischlinge Exposé, ​ pays tribute to her father, Horst Joachim Enger, who survived forced labor and the Holocaust as a Mischling in Germany. It takes the form of a multimedia concert program set in the World War II period, combining music, literature and images that focus on the haunting memories of the lives of Mischlinge– half-Jews – and converts, in Germany before, during, and after the Holocaust, an experience reflected in Ms. Enger’s own family history. The Mischlinge project will be enriched by a new commission by the acclaimed composer Bruce Adolphe, which will premiere in 2017. Find out more about the project at www.mischlingexpose.com.

Highlights of Ms. Enger’s 2016/17 season include a performance at Michaelis Kirche in Erfurt, Germany; a Chicago residency with recitals at several Steinway Galleries and the Chicago Public Library; a performance at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts in Massachusetts; and a variety of recitals in the Tri-State area. Ms. Enger will present her ambitious multimedia concert experience, The Mischlinge Exposé, ​ at community centers throughout New York and New Jersey, and will premiere a new work written by the acclaimed composer Bruce Adolphe especially for this project at the Center for Jewish History in Spring 2017.