Bruce Adolphe

Music Is a Dream

The title is a quote from Alice Herz-Sommer (1903-2006), to whose memory this piece is dedicated. Alice Herz was born in Prague to Jewish parents who ran a cultural salon, giving her the opportunity to meet luminaries such as Mahler, Freud, and Kafka, among others. At age five, Alice began to study piano and became a concert pianist, but her career was cut short by the Nazis, who did not allow Jews to perform or teach non-Jews. In 1943, she, with her husband and son, were sent to the Czech city of Terezin, which was setup as a Nazi propaganda site to show how well Jews were treated. Inmates were allowed, then, to stage concerts in which Alice frequently starred during her two-year stay. Bruce Adolphe, inspired by a youtube video of Alice Herz-Sommer playing Chopin's Waltz in c-sharp minor, Opus 64, No. 2, included some quotes of the waltz in Music Is a Dream.