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C1 November 13–19, 2015
Pianist David Fray in the Board of Officers Room at the Park Avenue Armory on Oct. 7.
DAVID FRAY a Most Inspired Pianist By Milene Fernandez | Epoch Times Staff
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EW YORK—Exquisite, imaginative, and virtuosic are the first words that come to mind to describe the pianist David Fray. Highly sensitive, sometimes wishing he would be a bit less so, Fray knows how to protect and tend to his creativity, perhaps similar to how he takes care of his huge garden in southwestern France. His musical interpretations of the composers he loves—Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Ravel, Shostakovich, Brahms, and Schubert— reveal such artistry and originality, it’s hard to imagine how he does it.
Ironically, despite all the time it takes to be a concert pianist or a gardener, Fray said that patience and fearlessness are what he needs to work on the most in his character. “An artist has to fight against his own fears and weaknesses, and being an artist is not only working on music, it’s working on yourself through music,” Fray said. Living in a society generally geared toward instant gratification, he finds it challenging to accept that when you plant a seed, you don’t know exactly when it will yield results.
See David Fray on C3 JB MONDINO/VIRGIN CLASSICS
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What If Your Nazi Dad Killed 75,000 An interview with Jews? human rights
Marked Jews in the Krakow ghetto, circa 1940, who Niklas Frank remembers making fun of as a child, and being shamed thereafter by his kindhearted nanny.
lawyer and filmmaker Philippe Sands By Mark Jackson | Epoch Times Staff
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Say your dad killed 75,000 people. He’s a mass murderer. Can you live with that? Or would it destroy your life? David Evans’s documentary, “What Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy,” explores this phenomenon with real examples: Niklas Frank and Horst von Wächter, the sons of two powerful Nazi officials, each father responsible for insanely high Jewish body counts. Perfect Pair In a phone interview with the Epoch Times, British human rights lawyer Philippe Sands (executive-producer and author of the film’s narration, as well as interviewer/moderator of these Nazi descendants) said, “Nature could not have found a more perfect pair than these two.” Meaning, that as subjects, these men are diametrically opposed in their experiences and outlooks and therefore perfectly create the tension and conflict necessary to keep any line of storytelling interesting. Philippe and the Photographs The film opens with Sands (who is Jewish) looking at family photos in the home of Horst von Wächter, son of the notorious Nazi, Baron Otto Gustav von Wächter. Philippe Sands was looking at what were, to him, chilling photos of a man responsible for wiping out all of Sand’s very own Ukrainian-Jewish forefathers. Sands felt “complicit looking at home movies, as if looking in on the inside of horror.” Horst (born Vienna, April, 14, 1939), who enjoyed an idyllic childhood, looks at these same pictures of Nazi generals, along with photos of “A.H.” (take a wild guess), as cozy. Cozy! Horst refuses to see his father as anything less than slightly heroic. He clings like a limpet in his mind to the fact that the elder von Wächter, while indicted, was never convicted (because he died while under the protection of the Vatican). So his take is that, while dear old dad might have been a cog in the Nazi war machine, in the end, he was not culpable of Jewish genocide. Ja, sure he wasn’t—famous Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal claims to have seen Otto von Wächter, inside the ghetto of Lemberg, rounding up 4,000 elderly Jews (including Wiesenthal’s own mother), who were immediately transported to death camps. Niklas’s Photograph The polar opposite of Horst, Niklas Frank had a bleak upbringing and despises dad’s dark deeds. Hans Frank, politically responsible for all the ghettos and concentration camps on Polish soil, was widely known by the ghastly moniker, “The Butcher of Poland.” Niklas carries a photo of his dead father, taken directly after execution, one eye swollen shut from a hard swing into the wooden structure following the gallows-plummet. He keeps it on him at all times, as he says (not without gallows humor) “to make sure he’s really dead.” But Niklas Frank has bravely done his emotional work around the subject. He looked at it all headon, embraced the shame, allowed himself to feel disgust for “the criminals” he grew up with, as well as the righteous anger. And was thereby able to find peace in his life. Just as their fathers knew each other, were colleagues, and sometimes socialized, Niklas and Horst have known each other for years and have often quarreled about their respective father’s responsibility in the war. As Niklas says to Horst onstage, in a public discussion, “I like you. But I don’t like your brains and the thoughts in your brains.” Horst’s Denial In the film, Frank is convinced that, given the right situation, von Wächter could easily be turned into a Nazi in his own right. This reviewer is not so sure. But Horst von Wächter certainly is, on the surface of it, the perfect example of an intensely obstinate, rampantly prevaricating, post-fascist Teutonic man; a German male ostrich with his head buried firmly in the sands—or more appropriately—in the Sandses’ ashes. He is, in a word, annoying. More accurately; infuriating.
See Philippe Sands on C6
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DAVID FRAY
BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
a Most Inspired Pianist David Fray continued from C1 As an artist Fray perceives himself as a conduit. “Everything has to vibrate in the body of musicians ... for singers it’s obvious, but it’s also [the case] for pianists or violinists,” Fray said. It’s not easy to be a conduit in the 21st century, interpreting music in a fresh way from centuries past, when the tempo of life was much gentler and humane. This is perhaps why it’s so satisfying to listen to his playing. When Fray is not performing, he likes to spend time with nature and with his family. He proudly showed a photo of his 4-year-old daughter. He met his wife Chiara Muti, the Italian actress and opera stage director, when he collaborated with her father, conductor Riccardo Muti. A Serious Recital, Schubert via Fray From the moment he plays his first note, Fray sits arched over the grand piano. His handsomely chiseled face transforms as he plays. At times grimacing, at times grunting, creating the illusion of becoming one body with the piano—resonating together. He looks completely engrossed playing Schubert, the composer he feels comes closest to expressing the human soul. “I have the impression very often that Schubert wrote his compositions from another world. It’s as if he already passed to the other side of life,” Fray said at the Park Avenue Armory, the day after his first of two performances there on Oct. 6 and 9. The military atmosphere and warm acoustics of the armory’s wooden room set just the right mood for the three Schubert piano sonatas Fray chose to play: Sonata No. 7 in E minor (D. 566, from 1817), Sonata No. 16 in A minor (D. 784, from 1823), and Sonata No. 20 in G major (D. 894, from 1826, “Fantasy”). Only the “Fantasy” can be heard on Fray’s latest album, “Schubert Fantaisie,” which has received excellent reviews. Thus, Fray gave a rare chance to hear the trajectory of Schubert’s development in the last 10 years of the composer’s short life. Fray shapes Schubert’s silences and outbursts with incredible coherence—playing an extraordinary balance between technical rigor and poetry. Despite his involuntary grimacing, grunts, and thrusting gestures, Fray said that internally he’s actually somewhat detached when he plays. He referred to Diderot’s paradox, “The Paradox of the Actor” to explain that he does not have to be moved by the emotions that he interprets and plays in order to move the audience. Still, there are exceptions. “Sometimes, to be honest, the A minor sonata is something that in my opinion is difficult to play without being touched,” he said. Fray plays the tragic piece with such delicacy that one could almost sense the state Schubert must have been in when he wrote the unconventionally structured sonata. Schubert wrote it after his first bout with syphilis. It unfolds in a progression of block-like chords, lyrical melodies, and sudden unexpected bursts of emotion. The entire piece conveys a sense of forbearance. Fray noted that while Schubert’s music may seem sad, it also gives a sense of hope in accepting one’s condition. “It’s never all sad or happy or angry or calm or peaceful, very often it’s a mixture,” Fray said. “Schubert is maybe the greatest composer for making people understand all the complexity and subtlety of human feelings,” he added. Before the encore, Fray played Schubert’s monumental, Sonata in G major with equal intensity. The hesitations in Fray’s immaculate rhythm filled the room with anticipation. “Even if you have this immobility, even in the most peaceful moments, there’s always a certain flow, an inner movement. It always has to go a bit forward and that’s the thing that one should never forget about Schubert,” he said. At the end, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a white handkerchief, held it to his chest and bowed in all seriousness in the stately Board of Officers Room. DA PING LUO
Even if you have this immobility, even in the most peaceful moments, there’s always a certain flow, an inner movement. David Fray Pianist David Fray in the Board of Officers Room at the Park Avenue Armory on Oct. 7.
WATCH VIDEOS online at ept.ms/ PianistDavidFray
Delightful Interpreter Fray, now 34, started playing the piano at the age of 4, simply because his parents, both teachers, thought it was a good idea. The transition from his education to his professional career as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician— collaborating with some of the greatest conductors and performing with leading orchestras—progressed in a linear fashion. He quickly rose to international fame in 2006 when he received a standing ovation for his performance at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and shortly after with his incredibly fresh interpretation of Bach. The recording of his album, “JC Bach Keyboard Concertos” with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen was made into a documentary “Sing, Swing & Think” by Bruno Monsaingeon in 2008. It gives a fascinating glimpse into his artistry as a pianist, interpreter, and director. His decisiveness, clarity of vision, and sensibility are irrefutable. His decision to interpret Bach, a composer who is revered most highly by any serious musician, also shows much courage. “The perfection of Bach’s language and complexity and the huge production he had is something divine,” Fray said. “You have everything with Bach—everything. He summarized all the music that existed before him, but he also anticipated everything that could be done after him,” Fray explained. Some people, perhaps accustomed to a dry and serious approach to Bach were surprised by Fray’s lyrical interpretation, especially in his “JC Bach Keyboard Concertos.” It’s an album one could listen to endlessly, full of imagination and energy that cannot be contained. He affirmed, “You want to dance to it.” Fray deeply thought that although Bach’s music is something divine, contemplating humanity from above, you have to make it as lively, as moving, and as human as possible. “You put your own breath into the score and then the score lives. In French we say ‘a soufflé,’” Fray said. For Fray, in contrast to the perfection of Bach, the genius of Mozart, or the precision of Beethoven—whereby every note is a set part of a progression of global structure—Schubert contemplates humanity eye to eye. Schubert is best for engaging with what is perhaps Fray’s favorite musical challenge: “How is it possible to create and give the sensation of silence, but with sound? That’s a mystery. … Music creates silence,” he
said explaining another paradox. In Schubert’s compositions, “it is as important when you play, as when you don’t play,” Fray said hesitating in midsentence, creating the kind of silence he was talking about. ‘Intimate Little Laboratory’ It would be impossible to quantify how much time and dedication Fray puts into interpreting each piece he plays. It can take years, even decades to interpret a composer’s piece. Fray called it something like digestion. It begins when he first looks at the score. “I have the inner necessity to make people get the same feeling that I have when I discover a piece. ... I am happy if the audience understands how powerful, how incredible a piece is; that’s my goal,” he said. He’s always looking for what is behind, for example, a certain chord, rhythm, dynamic of a composition. It requires a very precise knowledge of the score, getting into the mindset of the composer and considering the piece’s special context. When asked where he gets his inspiration when he interprets different pieces, Fray said, “Very often it comes naturally to me.” But it’s not a process that can be simplified because otherwise “it would diminish the power of the message of the music,” he said. One of the greatest lessons Fray learned from this teacher, Jacques Rouvier who plays with him on his “Schubert Fantaisie” album, were requirements—what is expected of an artist. “It’s never as easy as one thinks and also sometimes it is not as complicated as one thinks,” Fray said. The audience has the joy of experiencing the result of a process that is hard to fathom. If he would not gather inspiration from what he called his own “intimate little laboratory,” if he would not confront his fears, if he would not work on his consciousness as he develops as a musician, and if he would not cultivate his artistry with a patience that defies a world of instant gratification, we would not be able to appreciate as much the music he plays. “I’m just here to show people the beauty of things that usually go unnoticed. That’s what art is all about. An artist is an eye opener, and ear opener, a heart opener,” Fray said. If you listen to any of Fray’s music, unexpectedly it gently seeps into you, revealing grace, beauty, tragedy, joy, and all the complexities of life in a most delightful way. DA PING LUO
David Fray bows to the audience after playing Schubert in the Board of Officers Room at the Park Avenue Armory on Oct. 6.
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November 13–19, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts RANSOM RIGGS
PAXTON WINTERS
(L–R) Actors Heather Raffo, David Strathairn, Jesse Eisenberg, Bill Camp, and Bryan Doerries at a Theater of War reading. (L–R) David Strathairn, Gloria Reuben, and Jeffrey Wright.
The Classics: Looking Back, Looking Forward
Theater of War Founder Bryan Doerries: By Sharon Kilarski | Epoch Times Staff Practitioners involved with the classical arts respond to why they think the texts, forms, and methods of the classics are worth keeping, and why they continue to look to the past for that which inspires and speaks to us. For the full series, see ept.ms/LookingAtClassics ll four hundred people seemed to lean forward in their seats. Eight hundred eyes locked on the four actors sitting behind a table in front of them. The room was absolutely still except for the actors, in ordinary clothes, reading aloud from ancient scripts. The audience of marines, their families, and caretakers had gathered to hear scenes from Sophocles’s “Ajax” and his “Philoctetes” at a San Diego hotel—the first of many Theater of War presentations. The soldiers were “voluntold” to attend by the military as a means to confront and hopefully control Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It was 2008. Since then, Theater of War founder Bryan Doerries has had plenty of confirmation that the classics retain their potent significance. In fact, Doerries has recently published “The Theater of War: What Ancient Greek Trage-
We are hardwired as a species to have a predictable response to ancient myths. Bryan Doerries, founder, Theater of War
dies Can Teach Us Today,” chronicling the project’s success. In a sense, Doerries maintains the ancient idea that the arts should serve as a means to heal the community. For him, 5th century Greek tragedies in particular fulfill their original intention: to act as catharsis, a means to purge the soul of excessive, dangerous emotions, especially for the war-torn and weary. Doerries does not frame his theater work as therapy for the psychologically wounded, as he explained in a phone interview on Wednesday, Oct. 27. Instead, according to the website Outside the Wire, a site for all of Doerries’s projects, as a self-proclaimed “evangelist for classical literature and its relevance to our lives today,” he aims to raise public awareness about the lasting effects of trauma—all kinds of trauma. In addition to Theater of War, Outside the Wire lists about a dozen other projects that rely on classic texts, and Doerries has directed more than 500 such performances in the last seven years. He has taken them to populations suffering from addiction, domestic violence, rape, and natural disasters, to name a few. How These Classic Texts Reach Us Over time, Doerries has come to see that certain conditions—conditions that the ancient Greeks had mastered—allow these texts to
communicate on a deep level. First, only powerful stories can grip and transfix the audience. Doerries typically relies on plays or poems of mythic proportion, like Sophocles’s plays, the biblical story of Job, or Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” Also, the stories must allow the audience distance, he believes: “There needs to be distance in time or culture, whether 2,500 years or 100 years. We don’t present stories about the Vietnam War. This is not meant to be a realistic portrayal. The ancient Greeks used this tool 700 years after the Trojan War, and by that time the war had become mythologized and distant as well.” The distance allows viewers to see themselves mirrored in the plays. Ultimately, “the power of distance comes from realizing that you are not the only person to have experienced this. I would argue that these classic pieces have gained potency and relevance over time because we see that our struggles are not unique in time or across time,” he said. Yet despite the distance, Doerries finds ways to draw the audience near. Theatrical pretense, for one, does not stand between those talking and those listening, as he explained in an interview on Didaskalia. Without scenery, without staging, the actors just sit and
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Tang Dynasty Empress Zhangsun and her husband, Emperor Taizong.
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By Leo Timm | Epoch Times Staff Throughout China’s long history, many dynasties were established by men of strength and ambition. Yet the wise and virtuous women who stood alongside them were no less instrumental in shaping the character and heritage of Chinese civilization. Classical Chinese culture values women who apply their intellect and wisdom to assist fathers, husbands, and sons in their judgement and conduct.
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(L–R) Actors Elizabeth Marvel, Bill Camp, and David Strathairn at a Theater of War reading.
DOUGLAS BAZ
(L–R) Seth Numrich, Charles S. Dutton, and Donnetta Grays.
Classic Texts Are Ancient Technology talk; they tell stories rather than make believe. In the instances of ancient Greek plays, the informality of storytelling is aided by Doerries retranslating the texts for contemporary ears. He sees the texts as “blueprints for an experience.” There is no “alchemical formula to transmute a work and make it alive for today. So translations are required to carry the original spirit to the present,” he said. Idioms that would make little sense for us today are traded away for current yet fresh expressions. In “Ajax,” when the eponymous hero considers suicide, Sophocles uses a nautical metaphor to describe the character’s internal state as a ship on a tempestuous sea, which spoke to the playwright’s audience of island dwellers. But when 1,000 soldiers and civilians are in the audience, that phrase won’t give the same punch. So Doerries uses the phrases “shellshocked” and “thousand-yard stare.” Most importantly, the audience connects to the text because they have lived these stories or know someone else who has. The mythic, powerful archetypes match the audience’s trauma. Sophocles’s “Ajax” tells of a man who lost his best friend in battle and feels betrayed by his superiors. Distraught, he blacks out and goes on a killing rampage, a rather pathetic one, which dishonors his illustrious reputation.
Feeling he has no way out, he commits suicide. In essence, Ajax is suffering from what today we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Limits of Suffering Alone The initial idea for these projects came from Doerries’s feeling of helplessness in watching a loved one suffer. As a young adult, Doerries spent five months caring for his 22-yearold girlfriend who was terminally ill. Her extreme suffering and the recognition of his own limitations in dealing with it exhausted his compassion and made him hunger for communion. “All I wanted to do was talk about my experience,” he said. But our secular Western culture offers “little chance to congregate and face big questions. We live in a world where misery and death are not talked about,” he said. “We are closet sufferers.” Doerries found some solace through the classics, which he had loved in college. Suddenly, though, the stories were no longer academic. They spoke to him. Upon reflection, Doerries had a hunch. The challenge of meeting suffering that surpassed the limits of human compassion could be reached by these texts. He felt that his need to talk about his own suffering was likely uni-
versal and that talking about our ordeals is a need. Therefore, after each performance of Theater of War or any of the other projects, he has invited the audience to share what in the readings resonates with them. Those in the audience who wish to participate stand and tell their own stories. Changing Our World In 2008, Doerries didn’t know if Theater of War would work. He had allotted 45 minutes for audience discussion after the very first performance and wondered if anyone would risk opening themselves up publicly. But when he saw that 50 people had lined up to speak; when he heard them repeating lines from the text—memorized lines that had sunk in; when he intuited that these experiences had never been shared before; when it registered that these sharings were as rhetorically complex, as poetic, as the plays themselves; when after three hours of discussion many were still waiting to speak, Doerries knew the idea had more than worked. He had hit a nerve. Doerries has also had indications of the project’s lasting impact: from a child calling to thank him for a healed family, to attendees returning to Theater of War 10 or 12 times,
to suicides that have been averted. Harper’s Magazine relates a tale of a Theater of War event at the U.S. Camp Zama Army Base in Japan. A retired lieutenant refused to get help that his wife insisted he needed after his tours in Afghanistan. “‘Because of you guys,’ he told each of the actors afterward in an improbably explicit but nonetheless persuasive moment of frankness, ‘I’m going to seek help. I’ve been in denial for three years.’” Only after the effects of catharsis had been demonstrated has social change ensued. Officers who attended early Theater of War performances contacted the Department of Defense and demanded more resources for this work. As a result, Doerries sees tectonic changes afoot in the military as perceptions about PTSD change. Doerries considers these changes to be a natural reaction to these texts—texts that he sees as a kind of ancient technology. “They work for the right audience. Just plugging in a hard drive to the computer, once it’s plugged in it works. But it has to be the right match,” he said. “We are hard-wired as a species to have a predictable response to ancient myths,” he said. For this reason the power of classic texts remains incredibly potent.
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Empress Yin Shows Compassion to a Deposed Court Rival Besides his proper wife Yin Liuha, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty also had a wealthy imperial consort, Guo Shengtong, who had bore him a son. This led to an awkward situation in which the emperor favored Yin Lihua, but was under pressure to choose Guo Shengtong out of pragmatism. Yin Lihua was a woman from eastern China descended from the famed minister Guan Zhong. Praising her as a “mother role model of beauty,” Guangwu offered Yin the position of empress. COURTESY OF TASTE OF LIFE
Whose astic Rule In the “Thousand Character Classic,” an educational text, there is the line, “Outside, accept the teachings of your master; at home, honor your mother’s principles.” Wisdom, represented by the Chinese character “zhi,” is the fourth of five cardinal virtues taught in Confucianism, the others being benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and faith. In the following three stories the Chinese empresses are known for their contributions to the Han and Tang dynasties.
Tang Dynasty Empress Zhangsun. Having no son, Yin remained humble and declined the offer. Guo Shengtong became empress. Guangwu could not shake his feelings for his first wife. When the emperor tried confer noble titles on Yin’s brothers, she refused, saying that it would be improper nepotism. When he tried to reward her with expensive jewelry, Yin pointed out that such extravagance was hardly appropriate given that the empire had hardly stabilized after years of warfare. Knowing that Guangwu was still in love with Yin, Guo Shengtong was jealous and slandered her repeatedly. After 17 years of marriage, the emperor tired of Guo and stripped her of imperial status. Though Yin Lihua became the new empress, she did not harbor grudges against Guo or her
family. She commanded her sons and grandchildren to treat the deposed empress as their own mother and grandmother. A notable instance of this was when Emperor Ming, Yin’s son and the successor to Guangwu, attended the funeral of Liu Jiang, who was Guangwu’s firstborn son by Guo. As a result of Yin’s virtue, the rest of Han Dynasty history was not disgraced by violence among the royalty. Mingde Empress Aids in Court Administration Another Han Dynasty empress, Mingde, was the daughter-in-law of the aforementioned Empress Yin and the wife of Emperor Ming. She is known for responsibly using her imperial authority to ensure smooth succession between emperors, earning her the appraisal as a model for all women and empresses at home and in court. Emperor Ming valued Mingde’s opinions and frequently asked her thoughts on political matters. Despite the great leverage she held over her husband, Mingde restricted herself to the role of adviser and never used her charm to benefit her own household. Finally, Emperor Ming passed away and was replaced by Emperor Zhang. Because Zhang was still a child, Empress Mingde filled in for him. In Chinese history, it was not uncommon for the empress-dowager to seize power for herself and rule from behind the scenes with the help of male royalty. Empress Mingde knew the chaotic results that would come of this, and strictly forbade any other royalty to touch power or influence the young emperor. As an example, there was much pressure on Emperor Zhang to grant his uncles royal titles. Empress-Dowager Mingde resolutely stood her ground against these requests until she was ready to pass full imperial authority to Zhang. His reign was thus stable and successful. Empress Zhangsun Vouches for an Honest Official Emperor Taizong is considered one of the greatest rulers in Chinese history. Born Li Shimin, he founded the 300-year-long Tang Dynasty (618–907), known as one of the pinnacles of Chinese culture, civilization, and imperial strength. But it was Taizong’s wife, Empress Zhangsun, whose timely advice and interventions streamlined this great man’s achievements. Zhangsun, the daughter of a Sui Dynasty general who grew up in an official’s family, was uncommon in that she had received a formal
classical education normally reserved for boys. Although Zhangsun grew up in a rich family, she set a good example of the nobility by living frugally. Her tolerant and compassionate nature fostered a good atmosphere at court, which enabled Emperor Taizong to focus on his imperial policy. The empress was of the belief that men and women occupy complementary roles and it was not her place to dominate his political responsibilities. But when it came to giving her husband course corrections, Zhangsun knew when and how to act. One early Tang Dynasty official, Wei Zheng,
In Chinese history, it was not uncommon for the empress-dowager to seize power for herself. was well-known for his honest but blunt criticism. Because of his brave integrity, he did not hold back even in front of Taizong himself. While the emperor acknowledged Wei as “a loyal official with good advice,” sometimes his temper would get the better of him. Taizong once planned a hunt in springtime and gathered many people before his palace to prepare for the occasion. Upon learning this, Wei Zheng hurried to the scene in protest— spring was a time of growth and replenishment, and hunting at this time would damage the ecosystem. His hunt ruined, a vexed Taizong returned to his chambers, where he encountered the empress. Venting his anger, he declared that he would kill Wei Zheng for his insolence. Instead of commenting immediately, Zhangsun retreated to her dressing room. Taizong’s rage turned to surprise when his wife reappeared in formal imperial attire. Bowing, she said: “I have heard that only a most capable emperor will have subordinates with integrity. Minister Wei shows so much integrity because you are an emperor who has ability. I congratulate you.” Taizong immediately recognized the folly of his attitude and silently forgave Wei’s actions. Zhangsun’s attitude was one of healthy consideration and caution. “Even when in peace, think of danger; choose honest and capable officials and heed their opinions. That’s all I know as your wife and nothing else.”
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What If Your Nazi Dad Killed 75,000 Jews? An interview with human rights lawyer and filmmaker Philippe Sands Philippe Sands continued from C2 Apologize! Sands and Evans (and Frank) ride Horst hard. One could say ruthlessly. And why not? “Look what your monster dad did! Why can’t you man-up, face the facts, admit this thing, and apologize for the sins of your father?!” are the words Sand’s body-language seems to be screaming throughout the film. And again— why not? Von Wächter’s dad obliterated the entire Sands tribe. Sands shows von Wächter a mass grave containing 3,500 Jews, whose bones lie there still, under the deep grass and the sighing trees, in Lviv. He shows him a destroyed synagogue, with Hebraic characters faded on the stone walls, where Frank says how angry he is, imagining the furtive, frantic discussions held there, of Jews trying to think of ways to escape the freight train of death bearing down on them. Horst’s not having any of it. A final ambush: Sands presents Horst with paperwork directly linking Otto von Wächter to the mass killings. Horst blithely waves it off, dismisses, excuses, feints, bobs, weaves, retreats, spins it, blithely tosses it off as an opportunity for Sands to be proud of what his forefathers built (the synagogue) and to try, in general, to think more positively. Pos-
‘What Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy’ Documentary Director David Evans Starring Philippe Sands, Horst von Wächter, and Niklas Frank Running Time 1 hour, 36 minutes Not Rated Release Date Nov. 6
itively maddening. Look More Closely … One quickly wants to jump on the bandwagon, gang up on von Wächter, and vengefully see the proverbial Shakespearian pound of flesh wrested from him in the form of an admission of guilt. But if one looks more closely—it’s already there. Along with an opportunity to grow one’s compassion. Young Horst refused his mother’s plea for him to become a lawyer, fled into the wilderness, refused the easy path to a professorship, sought his own way. He, a shy person, wanted desperately to be of service to someone, first to “Hundertwasser,” a Jewish artist, and then later in his own embrace of Judaism. In Horst’s words, “I will be a Jew, and do service in the temple.” And so we ultimately see a man whose knowing side suffers the crimes of his father deeply. Von Wächter sought to do penance. It’s just that he refuses, with every fiber of his being, to be publicly shamed. Why? It very much appears that Horst is hanging onto his sanity by his fingernails, as well as to whatever shred of dignity he can conjure up in his mind. It looks like what would otherwise be up for Horst is a nervous breakdown, suicide, or both. He at one point explains that he studies the
THINGS TO DO COMMUNITY EVENTS NEW IN MANHATTAN Salon Evening: The Passions of Andrea del Sarto Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. Music Room at The Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th St. The Frick Collection premieres a ravishing Salomé choreographed by Marcelo Gomes of American Ballet Theatre and inspired by the painting St. John the Baptist, currently on view in the special exhibition Andrea del Sarto: The Renaissance Workshop in Action. Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon will recite Robert Browning’s famous poem “Andrea del Sarto,” while Associate Curator Aimee Ng presents the artist as a man who loved deeply and imbued religious figures with an almost erotic beauty, proclaiming in paint their passionate faith. $40 public, $35 members. Frick.org/salon Folk City: New York and the Folk Music Revival Through Nov. 29, open daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. The multimedia exhibition features original instruments, handwritten lyrics, and video and film footage. “Folk City” traces the roots of the revival, its growth in New York, its major players, and its impact on American politics and culture during the tumultuous 1960s. $3–$14. MCNY.org Salon Evening: The Passions of Andrea del Sarto Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. Music Room at The Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th St. The Frick Collection premieres a ravishing Salomé choreographed by Marcelo Gomes of American Ballet Theatre and inspired by the painting St. John the Baptist, currently on view in the special exhibition Andrea del Sarto: The Renaissance Workshop in Action. Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon will recite Robert Browning’s famous
poem “Andrea del Sarto,” while Associate Curator Aimee Ng presents the artist as a man who loved deeply and imbued religious figures with an almost erotic beauty, proclaiming in paint their passionate faith. $40 public, $35 for members. Frick.org/salon
NEW ELSEWHERE Stacks: Three Decades of Writing Fellows Through Feb. 12, 2016 Opening reception on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. NYFA Gallery, 20 Jay St., Suite 740, Brooklyn An exhibition of published works from over 100 NYFA Literary Fellows featured within a site-specific installation by Anne Muntges (fellow in Printmaking/ Drawing/Artists’ Books ‘14). Free. NYFA.org Children’s Book Fair Nov. 14, noon–4 p.m. Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn This year’s fair features more than thirty-five Brooklyn-based authors and illustrators and includes storybooks, picture books, graphic novels, and books for young adults. Free. BrooklynMuseum.org
Nov. 19–Feb. 21, 2016 Metropolitan Museum of Art This Costume Institute exhibition will focus on the internationally renowned style icon Countess Jacqueline de Ribes, whose originality and elegance established her as one of the most celebrated fashion personas of the twentieth century. $12–$25 suggested. METMuseum.org
ONGOING IN MANHATTAN Arms and Armor: Notable Acquisitions 2003–2014 Through Dec. 6 Metropolitan Museum of Art Focuses on approximately 30 works from Europe, the United States, Japan, India, and Tibet. $12–$25 suggested. MetMuseum.org About Face: Human Expression on Paper Through Dec. 13 Metropolitan Museum of Art The representation of human emotion through facial expression has interested western artists since antiquity. $12–$25 suggested. METMuseum.org
ENDING IN MANHATTAN
The Magical World of Strega Nona Nov. 14, 1 p.m. Peter Jay Sharp Building, BAMcafé, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn Legendary children’s book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola comes to BAM on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his original Caldecott Award-winning book Strega Nona and the publication of a new collection of stories. Maria Russo, children’s books editor of The New York Times Book Review, leads a discussion with the prolific author on the origin of the story and the magic of the beloved “grandma witch.” $8. BAM.org
American Realism: Past and Present Through Nov. 30 Cavalier Gallery, 3 W. 57th St., Fourth Floor In presenting this extraordinary survey of American Realist works, the Cavalier Gallery has created a historic show that highlights the importance and diversity of the American Realism Movement. CavalierGalleries.com
VISUAL ARTS
Lulu Nov. 5–Dec. 3 Metropolitan Opera, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza Acclaimed artist and director William Kentridge (The Nose) applies his unique
NEW IN MANHATTAN Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style
PERFORMING ARTS NEW IN MANHATTAN
theatrical vision to Berg’s notorious femme fatale who shatters lives, including her own. Musically, the masterful score is in the sure hands of Met Music Director James Levine. From $27. MetOpera.org New York Lyric Opera Theatre Gala Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall The New York Lyric Opera Theatre performs scenes from well-loved operas such as Puccini’s La bohème and Madama Butterfly, Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Massenet’s Manon, Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, and Verdi’s La traviata, among others. $54.50. CarnegieHall.org Dance on a Shoestring Nov. 20–21 at 7 p.m. New York Theatre Ballet & Ballet School NY, 131 E. 10th St., Second Floor An intimate evening of music and dance held in our studio, The Dance Gallery. From ballet to Broadway, the Dance on a Shoestring series showcases NYTB’s diverse repertory with selctions from the current season and seasons passed. $15. NYTB.org
NEW ELSEWHERE Beyond Time Nov. 19–Nov. 21 BAM Howard Gilman Opera House Pitched gongs, thunderous taiko drums, nomadic chanting, and enlightened laughter score this multidimensional foray into temporal transcendence from Taiwan’s U-Theatre. From $20. BAM.org
MUSIC NEW IN MANHATTAN Michelangelo Quartet Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall If Haydn was the king of the Classical string quartet, his String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77, No. 1, is one of his crown jewels—a brilliant display of learned technique and melodic richness. Beethoven, once a student of Haydn’s, also made bold statements in his quartets, including quotations from a Russian folk tune in his
Hermetic spiritual tradition, which clearly taught him that a beneficent God exists. It’s furthermore instantly recognizable that, by way of his father’s ghoulish legacy, poor, kindly, haunted, spiritually beleaguered, 76 year-old Horst von Wächter, son of the demonic Otto Gustav von Wächter— has sought a path of spiritual enlightenment. Excerpts From the Interview Epoch Times: Were there any major surprises for you during the making of this film? Philippe Sands: That’s a great question. I suppose a major surprise was that we were all still talking to each other at the end. Another surprise is that I never would have dreamed I would end up in a field in Poland with people jollying about, playing at being Nazis (a Nazi war re-enactment). Epoch Times: I’m of the opinion, after having lived in Germany for five years, there are pockets outside of some major German cities where more than a little nostalgia for Nazism still exists. Mr. Sands: This is very true.
Sands will continue to make films to remind humans not to forget the evil we’re capable of.
Second “Razumovsky.” $58. CarnegieHall.org The New York Pops, Sophisticated Ladies Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. Carnegie Hall In the centennial year of her birth, the orchestra celebrates Billie Holiday and other groundbreaking icons of American popular song, from Ella Fitzgerald to Sarah Vaughan to Dinah Washington. $20–$122. CarnegieHall.org Piano Quintets With Pianist Simone Dinnerstein Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at The Met Full of great ideas, the energetic musicians of the Chiara String Quartet have established themselves as one of the most powerful and passionate practitioners of the string quartet genre. $50 single concert, $170 series of four concerts, $1 children. MetMuseum.org Simply Barbra Nov. 14 & Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W. 46th St. Award-winning, internationally acclaimed actor Steven Brinberg brings his latest “Simply Barbra” show back to New York. Singing live in his own voice, Brinberg recreates a Barbra Streisand concert with her signature songs and stories of her career. When Streisand’s best friend Donna Karan had a birthday and she could not attend, Brinberg was hired to sing at the party. $28, two drink minimum. DontTellMamaNYC.com Discovery Day: Beethoven Symphonies Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. The afternoon includes a keynote lecture, a dramatic reading, and a panel discussion with musicians from the Berliner Philharmoniker, along with a piano performance of movements from the symphonies, including the groundbreaking Third, “Eroica”; the witty Fourth; and the iconic Fifth, arranged for two and four hands. $25. CarnegieHall.org Arcanto Quartet Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall
Beethoven’s String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3, was one of three commissioned by the Russian ambassador to Austria, Count Andreas Razumovsky. $47–$58. CarnegieHall.org Cristiana Pegoraro on Piano Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall Italian-born pianist Cristiana Pegoraro has performed at concert venues in the United States, Europe, South America, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. She is the first female Italian pianist to perform all of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, and her discography includes 25 CDs. $50–$100. CarnegieHall.org Between Orient and Occident Nov. 19, 8 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall French violinist Virgil Boutellis-Taft makes his Carnegie Hall debut with the pianist Tara Kamangar. They offer a program of works that represent a voyage between the Orient and the Occident, including the world premieres of a commissioned work by American composer Drew Hemenger, Magatama, and Tara Kamangar’s Once There Was and Once There Wasn’t, which was written for Virgil. $35. CarnegieHall.org Jorge Avila, Steven Huter, Arthur Fiacco Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall Violinist Jorge Avila and cellist Arthur Fiaco, joined by pianist Steven Huter, perform an evening of chamber music masterpieces by Ludwig van Beethoven. Mr. Avila, known to New York audiences as a soloist, concertmaster, and chamber musician, joins his longtime collaborators in a program that includes the “Kreutzer” Sonata and the “Archduke” Trio. $35. CarnegieHall.org
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November 13–19, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts
Luxury Timepieces
That Go Beyond Just Telling Time By Emel Akan | Epoch Times Staff
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According to Schwertner, NOMOS watches are “affordable luxury”—with prices ranging between $1,400 and $6,000. Another brand from Glashütte, Nautische Instrumente Mühle was founded in 1869 to manufacture precision measuring instruments for the watch industry. After the fall of Berlin Wall the company was re-established and since then has focused on nautical instruments, marine chronometers, and mechanical wristwatches. The brand makes unique nautical wristwatches. Its Rescue-Timer watch is among the most popular. The watch has been designed with the help of the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service. Mühle has been in the U.S. market for seven years, and its prices are in the range of $1,600 and $5,000. A. Lange & Söhne, also from Glasshütte, was founded in 1845 and is currently owned by Richemont SA. The movements of Lange watches are made from a metal known as “German silver,” as opposed to the plated brass typically used for Swiss movements. This gives Lange movements an unusual color and sheen. The price for Lange watches starts from $16,000 for very simple complications and goes up to $2.2 million.
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The neomatik— a new automatic watch from NOMOS Glashütte.
The A. Lange & Söhne Up/Down watch in pink gold.
LANGE & SOHN
NOMOS is an “affordable luxury” brand with prices ranging between $1,400 and $6,000.
COURTESY OF
World-Famous Glashütte Brands The small East German town Glashütte is the birthplace of world-famous German watch brands. Fine timepieces have been made there for almost 170 years. The watchmakers in this town have thrived since the fall of Berlin Wall. One of them is NOMOS Glashütte, which is a fully independent watchmaking company. It exports to 43 countries and launched its U.S. business in mid-2014. NOMOS watches are all equipped with inhouse movements; the latest, an ultra-thin automatic caliber, the DUW 3001, was introduced in the neomatik series. The NOMOS brand has a quite a unique approach to design, as well. “Our watches stand out with their combination of high-quality craftsmanship from Glashütte, and timeless design from Berlin, which is where our in-house design studio is based,” said Merlin Schwertner from NOMOS. The company has been around for 25 years, with some of its models already being considered classics. Another aspect that stands out in a NOMOS Glashütte watch is its proprietary escape assembly, the NOMOS swing system; a crucial watchmaking part that defines the accuracy of a watch. By doing so, NOMOS Glashütte has made itself independent from external suppliers, and can now control all aspects of quality itself.
A Breguet watch at the WatchTime New York exhibition on Oct. 24.
COURTESY OF NOMOS
A Watch With Unique Complications One of the luxury brands featured at the exhibition was Pierre DeRoche from Switzerland. “My family has been in the watch business for four generations,” said Pierre Dubois, the founder and the CEO of Pierre DeRoche. The brand has unique complications that display additional functions like date, and power reserve. TNT Royal Retro watches are the best examples that feature these complications with six retrograde seconds hands. Another unique aspect of the watches is its chronograph, which is a stopwatch function that measures intervals of time. “All our chronographs have a 60-minute counter. Whereas, most Swiss watches have only a 30-minute counter,” said Dubois. Pierre DeRoche also has watches that are designed for the Asian market. “Chinese people still prefer simple designs and small round cases,” said Dubois. The simple designs are sold for $7,000 and the steel case watches with Royal Retro complications are sold for $22,000–23,000. The brand also has watches with special metals sold for $320,000.
COURTESY OF WATCHTIME MAGAZINE
EW YORK—Have you ever wondered why some watches are more expensive than a Ferrari? They are luxurious not because they pay a lot of money to celebrities for marketing. They are complex timepieces, requiring generations of experience and big investment in research and development. A watch exhibition can be a good platform for better understanding the complexity behind making excellent watches and for appreciating the stories of worldclass brands. WatchTime Magazine held such an exhibition at Gotham Hall in New York, on Oct. 23–24, drawing more than 700 timepiece enthusiasts and collectors. They hosted 20 luxury watch brands from Switzerland, Germany, the United States, Italy, and Japan that displayed their newest timepieces. Over the course of two days, guests had the opportunity to see watchmaking demonstrations, try on luxury timepieces, and chat with company executives who were excited to showcase their brands. “America is a huge and interesting market for us. People like German products and the designs,” said Thilo Mühle, CEO of German watchmaker Mühle Glashütte, founded in 1869. “What I love about Americans is that they are very energetic and enthusiastic. A lot of people like our watches,” said Merlin Schwertner, Vice President of NOMOS Glashütte USA Inc., another German brand featured at the event.
house technology. Established in 1964, Grand Seiko entered the U.S. market in 2010. Prices of Seiko’s luxury watches range between $1,000 and $17,000. First In-house Watches by Porsche Design Porsche Design has been in the watch business since 1972, but the company preferred to work with license partners like IWC. Porsche design founded its timepiece company last year in Switzerland and started producing watches in-house. “We focus on clean functional designs,” said Kerstin Hamann, head of marketing at Porsche Design America. Porsche Design has 25 stores in North America. Prices of the collection range between $3,500 and $8,000. Other luxury watch brands featured at the exhibition included Armin & Strom, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Moritz Grossmann, Breguet, Carl F. Bucherer, Emmanuel Bouchet, F.P. Journe, MeisterSinger, RGM, Tutima, Ulysse Nardin, and Visconti. Having received positive feedback from watch collectors, WatchTime Magazine plans to hold its second New York show in 2016. “We plan to attract more established brands. Our goal is to grow the show next year,” said Sara Orlando, publisher of WatchTime Magazine. PHOTOS BY SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
Railroad Timekeeper Another prominent brand at the exhibition was BALL, which is an American owned brand, headquartered in Switzerland. BALL Watch Co. was established in 1891. After a horrific train crash in the United States, the company was commissioned to establish accuracy and uniformity in timekeeping on U.S. railroads throughout the country. “People love the history and American aspect of the brand,” said Wes Burke, who is marketing manager of Duber Time, the U.S. distributor of BALL watches. The most unique feature of the brand is the self-powered micro gas tubes. This technology makes the watch glow at night, so one can read the watch quickly and easily in any environment. The entry-level price for BALL brand watches is around $1,500 and for the gold pieces the price goes up to $17,000. The medium price point is around $2,400. Catching Up With Swiss Brands Japanese Seiko showcased its luxury brands, Grand Seiko and Astron at the exhibition. “In the U.S. market, we are behind the Swiss watchmakers, so our biggest challenge is to catch up to the Swiss brands” said Ken Irie, senior vice president of Seiko America. The most important feature of Grand Seiko is its “spring drive movement,” which is an in-
Merlin Schwertner, vice president of NOMOS Glashütte USA Inc. (L), at the WatchTime New York exhibition on Oct. 24.
Wes Burke, marketing manager of Duber Time, the U.S. distributor of BALL watches at WatchTime New York.
Swiss luxury brand Pierre DeRoche at WatchTime New York.
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Epoch Times, November 13–19, 2015
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