Lotoro, Francesco: The Lost Music of the Holocaust

Italian pianist and composer Francesco Lotoro has been on a lifelong quest to find the music written by the inmates of concentration camps during the Second World War. Lost Music of the Holocaust movingly pieces together the human stories of those whose only solace during their imprisonment was their music. These incredible stories bear witness to the most devastating experiences in twentieth-century history - but here music was a lifeline that had to be hidden with ingenuity and so sheet music was sewn into the lining of coats, instruments were taken apart and hidden in suitcases, scores written on food wrappings and prison walls. Lotoro has painstakingly salvaged and performed symphonies, operas and songs written by the incarcerated musicians, many of whom died in the camps, not expecting their music could ever be known or heard by the world. He has travelled the globe to meet with the families of those who lost their lives, as well as survivors themselves. This compelling book takes readers on a journey into some extraordinary lives and music, shining a light on a unique beauty that somehow prevailed against all odds.