Violinist Itzhak Perlman plays the theme from Schindler’s List for Amnon Weinstein as they discuss the importance of the violin in Nazi internment camps.
American Masters: Itzhak premieres nationwide Sunday, October 14 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and will be available to stream the following day via pbs.org/americanmasters and PBS apps.
So the instruments were confiscated by the Germans The people that came to Auschwitz, they came always with the violin, people never left the violin, don't forget it, and then they confiscated it, send them to the gas, and then they gave it to the orchestra The men survived because he played the orchestra.
I wonder if there were some people that couldn't really play very well but just said I'll do it. Just for... just for... And none of them continued to play except one or two after the war In other words this was strictly for survival *plays a riff* When people asked once Isaac Stern, why so many Jewish people were playing the violin, his answer was this is the easiest instrument to pick up and to run away, when they were listening to the playing for them they were not in the camp, they were out and you know what it is 5 minutes not to be in Auschwitz?
Even in your mind, that's life-saving, that's the power of the violin.
May I ask you to play a little bit of Schindler's List on the Auschwitz violin?
You know it's incredible with Schindler's List when I go around the world the only piece that people want ask to play is that.
