Top orchestras play under the banner of peace in Dresden

The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra will give a double concert on May 9 to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation from National Socialism and the end of the Second World War. The top orchestras, whose musicians will each share a podium according to a press release, will thus set "a musical sign for reconciliation and peace" in the run-up to the Dresden Music Festival under the direction of Israeli chief conductor Lahav Shani.

The concert by a German orchestra and an orchestra founded by emigrants who fled to Israel is a testament to the cultural friendship between these countries, said Artistic Director Jan Vogler. This is an example of overcoming an extreme past and the interaction between the musicians is "a beautiful symbol of understanding".

The performance in the Kreuzkirche will include "Prayer" by the composer Tzvi Avni, who was born in Saarbrücken in 1925 and emigrated to Palestine, and Gustav Mahler's "Tragic" Symphony. In the Frauenkirche, members of the orchestras will then perform chamber works by composers who found refuge in music due to persecution or who were not allowed to perform for ideological reasons - with Shani on the piano.