“The Zero Hour” – Austrian Literature and Music at the End of World War II
Image: WStLA, Presse- und Informationsdienst, FC1, 45011 | Young people clearing rubble in Vienna, October 1945
MARCH 6 | 6:30 PM
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Join us for an evening of literature and music with Elysium that reflects on the past while asking the urgent question: What do we do with the freedom we have gained?
About the Event
2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a turning point in world history. When the guns fell silent on May 8, 1945, Europe lay in ruins, cities were reduced to rubble, and the scars of war ran deep. The atrocities of the Nazi regime—including the murder of six million Jews, as well as the persecution of Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, and people with disabilities—had left a lasting wound on humanity. How did Austrian writers experience the end of the war? How did they confront the horrors of the past and the challenge of rebuilding a democratic society? This special program explores these questions through the words of Ilse Aichinger, Ingeborg Bachmann, Franz Theodor Csokor, Milo Dor, Michael Guttenbrunner, Ruth Klüger, and Hilde Spiel—authors who captured the trauma, reckoning, and hope of this historical moment. Their texts, reflecting the perspectives of Holocaust survivors, resistance fighters, and civilians, illuminate the struggles of an era that still resonates today. In his novel Dead Men on Leave, Austrian-Yugoslav author Milo Dor has a partisan proclaim: “We have set liberation day as our final goal. That was a big mistake. Hence the disappointment. Liberation is not the end of the story. It is only the beginning. What matters now is what we do with the freedom we have gained.” Accompanying these literary reflections is a moving selection of songs by Paul Dessau, Hanns Eisler, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Ernst Krenek, Frederick Schreiber, Vally Weigl, and Kurt Weill—composers whose music embodies both the sorrow and resilience of the time.
About the Artists
Peter Kendall Clark – Baritone & Narrator: A longtime member of Elysium, Peter Kendall Clark has performed with the ensemble since 2001, when he sang Edwin in Ernst Krenek’s What Price Confidence? at the Rome Opera. He has created leading roles in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis and Ted Rosenthal’s Dear Erich with New York City Opera and has appeared with companies such as Chelsea Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, and Opera Roanoke. Equally at home in musical theater, he has performed roles including Sweeney Todd, Henry Higgins, and the Pirate King. His nightly stoop concerts in Brooklyn, which began in 2020, received international acclaim. Image: Kristin Hoebermann
Jeannie Im – Soprano: A member of Elysium since 2000, Jeannie Im has championed works by persecuted composers, performing in the Italian premiere of Ernst Krenek’s What Price Confidence? and premiering Egon Lustgarten’s Dante in Exile. She has also directed programs for ACFNY, including Campaigning for Women’s Rights – Fighting Against Fascism. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley and NYU, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Caramoor, and the Altenburger Musikfestival. Image: Private
Michael Lahr von Leitis – Concept & Introduction: A scholar of Erwin Piscator, Michael Lahr von Leitis has curated exhibits on political theater in exile and rediscovered persecuted composers. As Artistic Director of Elysium, he has conceived productions such as Remember – For the Future. He also serves as Executive Director of The Lahr von Leïtis Academy & Archive and Fellow Researcher at Exilarte Vienna. Image: Lothar Lenzen
Michael Protacio – Tenor: Praised by The New York Times, Michael Protacio has performed in 37 countries, specializing in opera, musical theater, and jazz. He participated in Elysium’s Innovators in Exile, highlighting Austrian-Jewish composers, and has appeared in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal Pictures) and Glee (FOX). He holds degrees from Yale and Carnegie Mellon. Image: Guetzli
Dan Franklin Smith – Piano:A collaborator with Elysium since 1996, Dan Franklin Smith led the world premiere of Egon Lustgarten’s Dante in Exile and has performed at Alice Tully Hall, the National Gallery, and Savannah Music Festival. His recordings include Hans Huber concerti with the Stuttgart Philharmonic. Image: Letizia Mariotti