Degenerate Music is a captivating illustrated lecture presented by award-winning singer and producer Adrienne Haan on Thursday 12 January 2025 at 6:00pm at the Old Synagogue at the SA Jewish Museum.
Degenerate Music (German: Entartete Musik) was a label applied in the 1930s by the Nazi government in Germany to certain forms of music that it considered to be harmful or decadent. The Nazi government’s concern for Degenerate Music was a part of its larger and more well-known campaign against Degenerate Art (‘Entartete Kunst’). In both cases, the government attempted to isolate, discredit, discourage, or ban the works.
In her historical lecture, Ms. Haan highlights many aspects of German history and goes as far back as the year 1914, the beginning of World War I (1914-18), focusing on the the Primal Catastrophe (German: Urkatastrophe) of the 20th Century that would later on lead to the Third Reich.
She elaborates the politics of the last German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the connection between Germany and the Great Powers at that time. Many facets of the Great War are shown and she then continues to take the audience straight into the Weimar Republic (1918-1933), again focusing on its politics, but also focusing on its artist and the rise of European Cabaret.
- She then illustrates the life and works of some of the most famous musicians of the time before she progressively finds the passage to the rising Nazi Regime, its politics and therefore the end of the pluralism of the Weimar Republic.
The Great Depression of 1929, the forbidden Jazz and Swing music under the Naziz as well as the persecution and execution of the so-called German “Swing-Youth” which originated in Hamburg, Germany are also important topic of this lecture.
During the lecture, Ms. Haan contrasts the music that was allowed in the Third Reich (1933-1945), and the music that was considered degenerate.
A photo slide show accompanied by what was considered Degenerate Music will be shown at the end of the presentation. Adrienne Haan will be happy to discuss and answer questions after that.
This FREE lecture precedes Chanteuse Internationale Adrienne Haan – Tehorah on Sunday 26 January at the same venue. Tickets for this performance are R 225. Book soonest HERE
WHAT: Degenerate Music (Entartete Musik) – A lecture by Adrienne Haan, under the patronage of the German Consulate General in Cape Town
WHERE: Old Synagogue, SA Jewish Museum, Gardens Community Centre, 88 Hatfield St, Gardens, Cape Town 8001
WHEN: Thursday 16 January 2025 at 6:00pm | Approx. running time including Q&A: 1 hour
TICKETS: Free admission To attend the event at the Centre, please RSVP
INFO: T 021 465 1546 | E info@sajewishMuseum.co.za | VISIT | The lecture is in collaboration with the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre VISIT |
South African Jewish Museum [18]
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Adrienne Haan background:
Hailed as “an exceptional song interpreter with a grand voice” by the Berliner Morgenpost and “an entertainer of the highest caliber” by the New York Times, award-winning entertainer, Chanteuse Internationale, Adrienne Haan is one of the most electrifying concert stars at work today. She is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NY and also has a Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics from St. Mary’s University in London.
Ms Haan is a member of the Dramatist Guild in the United States. A singer, writer and producer, she is constantly touring across the globe with a diverse repertoire that encompasses German 1920s and 30s Cabaret music, French Chanson, American Songbook, Broadway, and other international songs. Recent performances include concerts in the USA, Europe, Australia, China, Israel, Turkey, Africa as well as South America. Ms. Haan performs fluently in 13 languages which makes her unique in her field.
Adrienne has been artist-in-residence at the Triad Theater NYC since 2016 where she performs her different soirées on a regular basis.
In 2015 she premiered her Holocaust Remembrance Concert in German, Yiddish and Hebrew – Tehorah – at New York’s Carnegie Hall with another performance there in 2023. Since then it has become her mission to partially dedicate her performing arts and personal life to the Holocaust Remembrance. She continues her purpose spreading the musical message of Tehorah (Hebrew for “pure”) as a sign of hope for peace among the nations.
She lives in New York City.
