by Kate Kennedy
First published 2024
Kate Kennedy reconstructs the lives of four cellists whose stories span centuries of hardship and resilience. Pal Hermann, a Jewish musician likely killed by Nazis in Lithuania, emerges from obscurity alongside Lise Cristiani, the first female professional cello soloist who toured Siberia in the 1850s with her Stradivarius. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen after playing in the camp orchestra, while Amedeo Baldovino lost his precious 'Mara' Stradivarius in a River Plate shipwreck before its eventual recovery and repair. Kennedy interweaves these biographical threads with reflective detours that examine music's role during persecution and loss. Through historical research, personal encounters, and interviews with living cellists, she explores how these musicians endured suffering while preserving their art. The book moves between forgotten performers and survivors, between lost instruments and recovered treasures, revealing how music persists through humanity's darkest moments.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, non-fiction, music, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, survival
Setting: Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Lithuania, River Plate, Siberia
Period: 1850s, World War II
480 pages · Hardcover · Pegasus Books
Content warnings: violence