(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)December 4, 2010

(MAHWAH, NJ) In 1936, the Nazis banned performances of work by the composer Felix Mendelssohn because of his Jewish background. Although his manuscripts and other papers were sent abroad for safekeeping, Mendelssohn’s earlier and lesser-known compositions disappeared from the international concert repertoire.

It was in this context that the Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies held a pre-concert dinner is association with recital by Shanghai Quartet at the Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts on December 4. Namely, the performance included several works of the German-Jewish composer that are being re-introduced to audiences around the world under the auspices of the of the Mendelssohn Project. The program included Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in a minor, Op.13 (composed in 1827, at the age of 17) and his Three Fugues (newly discovered, composed at the age of 11-12).

Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, the Shanghai Quartet has worked with the world’s most distinguished artists and regularly tours the major music centers of Europe, North America and Asia. The Quartet has built an extensive discography that now totals over 25 recordings on multiple labels. It has appeared in a diverse and interesting array of media projects, ranging from a cameo appearance in the Woody Allen film “Melinda and Melinda” playing Bartok’s String Quartet No. 4 (and the film’s soundtrack recording) to PBS’s Great Performances series for television.The Shanghai Quartet serves as Ensemble-in-Residence at Montclair State University in New Jersey. The Quartet holds the esteemed title of visiting guest professors of the Shanghai Conservatory and the Central Conservatory in China.

The proceeds of the dinner will go to support the programs of the Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Lauren Gross and Seth and Dorrie Cohen generously underwrote the dinner. Among the attendees were Ramapo College President Dr. Peter P. Mercer and Dr. Jackie Ehlert-Mercer.

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