Skip to content
Accueil » Archives » Raoul Wallenberg inspiring Musicians

Raoul Wallenberg inspiring Musicians

David Ben Reuven:

Singer-songwriter, Wallenberg activist. Founded the Jerusalem Raoul Wallenberg Committee in the 1980s, holding regular demonstrations and petition campaigns calling for the release of Wallenberg. Published the book “Raoul Wallenberg is Alive” by Efim Moshinsky in 1987. In his novel Bestseller, based on his experiences, he imagines how Raoul is found and released. In recent years he has concentrated on writing songs and performing them about Wallenberg and the Jewish and non-Jewish rescuers of the Holocaust era, mainly in the context of the Jerusalem Working Group events.

These songs are now available on his CD “Songs of Hope, Heroism and Humanity”. You can order the CD directly to Jerusalem Songs Ltd.

Songs relating to Raoul and the Rescuers:

Andy Irvine:

The son of a Scottish father and an Irish mother, Irvine was inspired by his mother, an actress, to pursue a career in theater and appeared in numerous films and stage productions as a youngster. Music, however, had an even greater lure. After learning to play guitar, Irvine played in several teenaged skiffle bands, acquiring an interest in traditional folk songs and the songs of Woody Guthrie. Moving to Dublin, Ireland in the early 1960s, Irvine became involved with the city’s folk circuit. After having performed with different groups, Irvine recorded his second solo album, Rude Awakening.

  • Rude Awakening, Raoul Wallenberg, Green Linnet , 1991

Jerusalem Working Group:

  • Beacons in the Dark, 2005

Ben Olander:

Hoppets ljusa strimma
(Our Gleam of Hope), Leco Music Division (LMD), 2005

  • Hoppets ljusa strimma
  • Låt mig aldrig tveka
  • Our Gleam of Hope
  • No Hesitation

Clara Reichard – Gross:

  • “The Devil’s Son”, opera in 3 acts, December 5th 1985 at wallenberg Traditional High School, San Fransisco

Jeanne Singer:

Of Times Past: Music for Orchestra, Voice & by Joseph DePalo, Jeanne Singer, Robert Stankovsky, Vit Micka, and Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra

Wallenberg, a new musical drama

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is proud to be one of the associate producers of the amazing, new Wallenberg musical. With book and lyrics by the 2006 Kleban Award-winning team of Laurence Holzman & Felicia Needleman, music by Benjamin Rosenbluth, and under the direction of Emmy Award winner Annette Jolles, Wallenberg conveys the same sense of hope and optimism that Wallenberg himself inspired. Wallenberg’s heroic efforts proved that one ordinary man can make an extraordinary difference. In light of the disheartening situation in our world today, this message -which lies at the heart of the musical- resonates deeply for all of us.

Wallenberg had its premiere public presentation in March 2004 in a staged reading at Symphony Space in Manhattan, presented by the New Voices Collective. In January 2005, a reading presented by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation took place at JCC Manhattan, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Wallenberg’s mysterious disappearance. The musical played to full houses as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in September 2006.

Portrait of Raoul Wallenberg

Symphonic Portrait  composed  by  Ulf  Björlin, text by Herb Schapiro. Recorded from the world premier 25/26 April 1990 Palm Beach

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *