She asked Frank for permission to set his mother's words using his English translation, which he had condensed from the longer letter. She first read Vilma's letter in 2022 when she met Frank during Indianapolis Opera's "Brundibar and Vedem." The production married a historic opera children performed in a concentration camp with a contemporary oratorio Laitman composed using young prisoners' underground poetry. Laitman is a composer practiced in writing for voice, in telling stories of the Holocaust through music. "We considered the possibility of hiding but decided not to do it since we felt it would be hopeless." She didn't tell him it would be for the last time, that she would go with John so he wouldn't die alone. Then his mother was there, speaking to him. "That's when I realized I was on death row and that Willy just saved my life."įrank remained hidden, safe in the huddle. "That's when the light came on," said Frank, now 90. With one brief wave of his hand, Mengele sent the duo to the left.īut in a move so swift it appeared to escape notice, Willy Brachmann, a non-Jewish German prisoner for whom Frank had worked as a messenger, grabbed his left shoulder and shoved him into a group of older boys on the right. After officers forced them to promenade, the "angel of death" spotted John's limp from an underdeveloped leg. On a grassy plot surrounded by barbed wire, he and his 16-year-old brother stood with 200 to 300 other children in front of infamous doctor Josef Mengele. And especially of Ja day as confusing to then-11-year-old Frank as it was life-defining. Throughout their successes, they carried the trauma of the Holocaust. He relocated to Indianapolis in 1987 for his job and then taught strategic design and creative thinking at Purdue University. Frank attended the Pratt Institute, becoming an industrial designer. The father and son were rebuilding their lives after immigrating to New York in 1951. "You, my only one, dearest, in isolation we are waiting for darkness."įor more than 20 years after the war, Frank left the words mezzo-soprano Lyndsay Moy performed June 4 unread in his father Kurt's bedside table drawer.
Moments to remember sing full#
"It's a letter full of life," Frank said, "by someone who is about to die." And now, with the song published by composer Lori Laitman, "Into Eternity" will continue to spread Vilma's unyielding love in the face of devastation. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where Frank donated it in 2012. So remarkable are the letter's resilience and timing on the day of their murder that it remains a unique piece at the U.S. Now Vilma's younger son was listening to the words he'd read over and over - this time as a newly composed art song making its world premiere as part of a concert at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation. Then she convinced a Nazi guard to deliver it. Frank reached for his wife's hand next to him as she wiped her eyes.Īlmost 80 years ago, in the moments before Vilma Grunwald and her older son died in the Auschwitz gas chambers, she pressed pencil to paper to write Frank's father a letter of comfort. Silence followed the final bars before impassioned applause gave way to a standing ovation. Around him sat audience members with furrowed brows, tears slipping. Have a fabulous life, we must board the trucks.įrom his seat at the sanctuary's front, Frank Grunwald's clear gaze held on to the vocalist as she sang some of the final words his mother ever expressed. Both of you - stay healthy, my dear ones. Take care of the little golden boy and don't spoil him too much with your love. Stay healthy and remember my words that time will heal - if not completely - then - at least partially. You - my only and dearest one, do not blame yourself for what happened, it was our destiny. The famous trucks are already here and we are waiting for it to begin. We considered the possibility of hiding but decided not to do it since we felt it would be hopeless. " You, my only one, dearest, in isolation we are waiting for darkness. To celebrate the importance of music in our memories, we've curated 20 songs about memories that you could include in your Memories Timeline.View Gallery: Indy Opera holds Into Eternity concert It's fair to say that music is an integral part of our lives. A person's favorite song is also played a their funeral or memorial service. It's a memorable part of a wedding ceremony or reception. Likewise, a special wedding song has been a tradition in the West for many generations now. Bon Jovi - You Want To (Make A Memory) 14. John Cougar Mellencamp - Jack and Diane 9. Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men - One Sweet Day 4.
Green Day – Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) 3.
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