Press release: 25.6.2015

“Schalom. Jüdische Woche in Leipzig 2015" event. Panel discussion and "Semer Label Reloaded" concert

19:00 on Friday 3. July 2015 | German National Library in Leipzig.

In their discussion, Dr. Rainer E. Lotz and Dr. Alan Bern will examine the history of the "Semer" label. The "Semer" record company was founded in Berlin in around 1932. It released Jewish and Hebrew pop songs, opera arias and cantorial music, playing an important role in the German-Jewish cultural life of the time. Only a few shellac records of the "Semer" label survived the Holocaust and these form the basis of the music played by "Semer Label Reloaded" featuring Dr. Alan Bern and some of the best-known contemporary klezmer musicians.

Live music from the Semer project and historical sound recordings from the holdings of the German Music Archive of the German National Library bring the sounds of the time back to life. The label's shellac records from the holdings of the German Music Archive have been rereleased in “Vorbei ... beyond recall: Dokumentation jüdischen Musiklebens in Berlin 1933 –1938” (Bear Family Records, 2001).

Dr. Rainer E. Lotz is a development policy specialist, a music and record historian, the author of numerous publications on media history and the editor of the German national discography. He has received multiple awards for his work, including the “ARSC Award for Best General Research in Recorded Sound 2002” and a Grammy Award nomination in 2015 in the “Best Historical Album” category.

Dr. Alan Bern is co-founder and programme director of the “Yiddish Summer Weimar”, a composer /arranger, educator, philosopher and musical director of various music ensembles including “Semer Label Reloaded”, “Brave Old World” and “The Other Europeans”. In 2009 he received the “EhrenRUTH” lifetime achievement award for his work as a musician and educator.

“Semer Label Reloaded” is an international ensemble of renowned contemporary musicians. It was founded by Alan Bern in 2012 for the Jewish Museum. “Semer Label Reloaded” will be performing as a trio at the event: Alan Bern, Sasha Lurje, Fabian Schnedler.

“Semer” Schallplatten 1932 – 1938. A musical journey from the past to the present

“Semer Label Reloaded” panel discussion and concert
Panel discussion with Dr. Rainer E. Lotz and Dr. Alan Bern, hosted by cultural specialist, radio author and journalist Christian Forberg

Friday, 3 July 2015, 19:00
German National Library, Deutscher Platz 1, Leipzig, free admission

This German National Library event is part of the “Schalom. Jüdische Woche in Leipzig 2015” and is supported by “Gesellschaft für das Buch e.V.”, the society of friends of the German National Library.

Audio sample

An audio sample taken from the holdings of the German Music Archive of the German National Library is available online: Ich for aheim; Leo Stein with choir and orchestra, Berlin, spring 1934, Semer H L 032. .

Background

For over a century now the German National Library has been collecting, documenting, archiving and making publicly available all written and sound recording publications issued in Germany, or in German, since 1913. The collection of sound recordings dates back to the early days of sound carrier production in the 19th century. Early forms of music recordings include sound carriers such as shellac records, phonograph cylinders and piano rolls. Digital sound recordings constitute the most recent part of the collection.

In addition the German National Library also houses valuable and extensive special collections in the German Exile Archive 1933 - 1945 and the German Museum of Books and Writing. It showcases its valuable collections and promotes the culture of books, reading and music by regularly staging readings, exhibitions, lectures and concerts. It houses over 30 million media units and attracts roughly 220,000 visitors to its two sites in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main with its collections and rich and varied programme of events.