Works by Rathaus, Nichols, and Halat performed by the Karol Rathaus Ensemble: Marcin Halat, violin; Marcin Maczynski, cello; Aleksandra Halat, piano; and guest artist Steven Beck, piano. Karol Rathaus (1895 -- 1954) was a German-Austrian Jewish composer who immigrated to the United States via Berlin, Paris, and London, escaping the rise of Nazism in Germany. He was a renowned film composer, writing many commissioned works and several film scores, while his compositional output includes mostly instrumental works: symphonies, orchestral works, serenades, sonatas and ballets. While he achieved global fame during his lifetime, in Nazi Germany his compositions were classified as "degenerate art" and assigned a performance ban. He is now considered one of the many great 'composers in exile'.
Queens, New York, NY