An accomplishment that hardly has any equal as regards sense and meaningfulness of Things. It makes one ponder over such often vague notions as destiny and purpose in life and creates self-reflection moments. Will humanity ever learn? This release is more than a compelling musical experience; it is a document that no one should miss.”
Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France
Wonderful news at the end of 2023: Our album INTO ETERNITY has been rated as one of the top albums of the Dutch newspaper NRC. Amazing. It has been a very meaningful journey from finding this heartbreaking letter of Vilma, to meeting her son Frank Grunwald, writing the music and recording it with amazing musicians, Bella Adamova, Maya Fridman, Belinfante Quartet, Jacobus Thiele and Michael Hesselink, who brought the music to life. We will be performing the music throughout Holland and abroad over the next years and keep spreading the inspiring words of Vilma Grunwald into the world.
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I’d been watching the social media posts about this coming album of music by Marion von Tilzer and was intrigued. That the album included among it’s performers the ever-wonderful cellist Maya Fridman just heightened by interest to hear it. And I am more than pleased to finally hear the album. It is delightfully beautiful and thought provoking. In listening to this album, I encourage you to find your quiet, dark, happy space and distance yourself from all distractions. When I did this, the music simply drew me in, enveloped me, and totally engaged my mind and spirit. I don’t often say this of recordings, but this is one that fully rewards the effort.
All of the works are compositions of Marion von Tilzer, a musical triptych inspired by a letter written by Vilma Grunwald saying goodbye to her husband just moments before she and her son John were killed in the Auschwitz gas chamber. These are sad, sweet, haunting songs for the most part, beautifully sung by contralto Bella Adamova or vocalized by cellist Maya Fridman. Several are instrumental only. The instrumental accompaniment is diverse, with Von Tilzer on piano, Fridman on cello, and a string quartet, clarinet, and percussion joining on various tracks. An incredibly excellent sounding combination of talents to pull this off so successfully.
Most highly recommended! *****
Posi+ive Feedback – click here for the entire review
“However difficult it may be to place the terrible, gruesome and bizarre in an aesthetic framework, the whole nevertheless proved to be the pervasive reflection of an indefinable state of mind that leaves the abstract far behind without, however, lapsing into unwanted effect chasing. Vocal and instrumental contributions lived up to that in an extraordinarily impressive way. The recording is superb: strictly clear and colorful.”
Aart van der Wal
“From the dark turmoil of the opening movement, Von Tilzer allows the sung letter to rise slowly — with soft strings and the heartbeat of the piano — from the muck of Auschwitz. And in the final movement, she recaptures innocence from hatred and evil through the simplicity of a lullaby, a beautiful dialogue between alto Bella Adamova and Maya Fridman’s drifting cello.”
Joost Galema NRC
Marion’s Choir piece ‘Malala Speaks is performed by the Roosevelt College Choir with conductor Ramon vd Boom in honour of 40 years of the Roosevelt Foundation in the presence of Princes Beatrix and Anne Roosevelt, the granddaughter of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt.
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