Karel Berman

Karel Berman (14 April 1919 in Jindřichův Hradec – 11 August 1995 in Prague) was a Jewish Czech opera singer, composer and opera director.

Life

After he gained extensive musical education, he started his opera career of bass singer in Opava. Karel Berman was deported to Theresienstadt in March 1943. There, he took part in cultural life as a singer, composer and director. On 11 July 1944, for example, he and Rafael Schächter produced the "Four songs to words of Chinese poetry" by Pavel Haas for the first time. Later he was imprisoned also in Kaufering and Auschwitz. He survived this time in the camps and later became famous as an opera singer. In 1953 he joined to Prague National Theatre opera. He is known also as opera director, he directed more than 70 operas.

He worked also as teacher, in 1961-71 he taught at the Prague Conservatory, and since 1964 also at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

Works

• 1944 Poupata ("Buds") Bass-baritone songs and piano
  • Majové ráno (Eva Nonfriedová)
  • Co se děje při probuzení (Kamil Bednář)
  • Děti si hrají (Josef Hora)
  • Před usnutím č. 1 (František Halas)
  • Velikonoční (František Halas)

• 1938 - 1945 Reminiscences Suite Piano (first published in 2000)
• Terezín Suite Piano
• Broučci ("Glow-worms" - after the popular contemporary children's book by Jan Karafiát) Soprano and piano (later made world-famous by Jiří Trnka as a cartoon)

References

• Vrkočová, Ludmila: Slovníček hudebních osobností. 1999. ISBN 8O-901611-5-4

External links

• English info
• Music and the Holocaust - Karel Berman

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