Most of these works have never been heard. Inspired by these musicians’ indomitable creative spirit – a form of resistance amidst the inhuman and desperate conditions of the camps, Lotoro has made it his personal mission to single-handedly track down, decipher, archive and perform their music. He has scoured Europe to discover and record music composed clandestinely in World War II camps. Aided by his wife and a handful of friends, he has archived over 4000 scores, including symphonies, operas, folk songs, liturgical works, and also swing and gypsy music. From Prague to Krakow, from Rome to Paris, this is the astonishing story of a race against oblivion, where each note sounds like a challenge to the oppressor.
“If this music isn’t played, isn’t published, isn’t made known to the entire world”, he says “it’s as though it has never left the camps”. This captivating and moving documentary accompanies Lotoro on his passionate quest to restore this forgotten body of musical works to the collective memory of all mankind for posterity, and in so doing, to finally set it free from the camps.
This film has been supported among others by Apulia Film Commission. With the partecipation of RAI TRE and Istituto Luce Cinecittà.
More information : http://www.iicmelbourne.esteri.it/iic_melbourne/en/gli_eventi/calendario/2018/02/the-maestro-in-search-of-the-last.html
