A radio play oratorio by Kai Grehn using the "Death Books of Auschwitz" and poems by Tadeusz Borowsk
Everything disappears as if on a stage. The dead are silent forever,
and we - the living - how do we raise our voices when our hearts are on fire?
The hours pass slowlyand the days count for centuries
and freedom weighs on our chests like a slab of stone. (Tadeusz Borowski)
Lending your voice to someone who can no longer speak for themselves is an almost intimate event. For Imiona nurtu. Die Namen der Strömung , people from all over Europe responded to Kai Grehn's call and selected and recorded the names of those murdered from the Auschwitz death books, including members of the Schwerin acting ensemble. The result is an extraordinary audio piece that uses the voices of the living to build a bridge to the dead; a memento mori, interwoven with camp poems by concentration camp survivor Tadeusz Borowski and sound recordings from the former prisoners' barracks. Art in the service of remembrance.
After performances at the Burgtheater in Vienna and the Volksbühne in Berlin, Imiona nurtu. Die Namen der Strömung can be seen on June 8 in the M*Halle of the Schwerin Theater.
Imiona nurtu. Die Namen der Strömung will also be heard as a sound installation at the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial.
The oratorio will be followed by a discussion with director and author Kai Grehn and experts. Moderation: René Schlott
Supported by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future.
