copyright 2000; John Wiley & Sons publishers, New York; hardbound; very good condition with unmarked pages; dust jacket very good.
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Martin Goldsmith, senior commentator at NPR National Public Radio, has written a poignant book on the enduring power of music and love during World War Two . In the spring of 1933 Germany 's National Socialism under Adolf Hitler was brought to bear against the Jews, and more than 8000 Jewish musicians, actors, and other artists found themselves expelled from their positions and unable to work. Jews were even forbidden to attend 'Aryan' theaters. Later that year, the Jewish Culture Association, the " Judische Kulturbund " was created under the auspices of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's minister of "Public Enlightenment and Propoganda". Providing for Jewish artists to perform for Jewish audiences, it became an unlikely haven for them, while at the same time giving the Nazis a propaganda tool with which to try to fool the rest of the world that the Jews were being well-treated in the Third Reich. During this period, 22 year old flutist Gunther Goldschmidt was expelled from music school because of his Jewish roots. While preparing to try to flee to Sweden, he was invited to fill in for an ailing flautist with the Frankfurt Kulturbund Orchestra. There, during their rehearsals, Gunther met the dazzling Rosemarie Gumpert , a woman who would change his life. But Gunther left for Sweden as planned . only to return six months later, risking his life to return to the woman in Nazi Germany whom he could not forget. This is their story - a moving tale of love and resilience in the face of terror and persecution as the Holocaust was begun in Germany, told by their son. From Frankfurt , to the concert halls, and eventually to the United States where the two made a new life, this rare memoir also illuminates others of their associates, including Kubu director Kurt Singer, and more. This book is : " The Inextinguishable Symphony - A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany " , by Martin Goldsmith.