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  You are invited to the concert "Brikcius in Řetězová VII." of the Czech Cellist František Brikcius held on Saturday 21st January 2012, 7pm, at the Gallery Art Space Řetízek ("The House of the Three Wild Men", Řetězová 7, Praha 1, downstairs).

  Cellist František Brikcius will play 7 Ricercari for cello solo by Domenico Gabrielli (1659 - 1690), III. Suite C-dur for cello solo, BWV 1009, by J. S. Bach (1685 - 1750), Paduana for cello solo by Arthur Honegger (1892 - 1955), written shortly after the end of the Second World War and Stopy (2004) for cello solo by Irena Kosíková. Next concert "Brikcius in Řetězová VIII." (Anna Brikciusová - cello) will be held on Saturday 18th February 2012.

  Tickets (200 CZK) and reservations (603 865 126, 603 879 564) at the door. In the cooperation with concert gallery Art Space Řetězová 7. More details on websites http://www.Brikcius.com , http://www.iKosik.com , http://www.ArtSpace-Retizek.wz.cz and http://www.FaceBook.com/Pages/Art-Space-Retezova7/138300866239805 (FaceBook event here).

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  Czech pianist and composer of Jewish origin Gideon Klein, was born on 6th December 1919 in Přerov in Moravia. At age six he began to study piano with the head of the local conservatory.

  When he was eleven he travelled every month to Prague to have piano lessons with Růžena Kurzová (1875 - 1938), the following year he moved to Prague to live with his older sister Eliška Kleinová (1912 - 1999). In the fall 1938 Klein entered the Master School of the Prague Conservatory studying piano with Prof. Vilém Kurz (1872 - 1945) and the Charles University in Prague to study philosophy and musicology. For a short time he was taking lessons in composition with Alois Hába (1893 - 1973) at the Prague Conservatory.

  In 1940 he had been granted a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, but anti-Jewish legislation denied permission to travel to London. He graduated from the Master School in one year, but he wasn't allowed to continue with his studies when the Nazis closed all institutions of higher learning and banned all Jewish activities. Until his deportation he managed to perform as a concert pianist under the pseudonym Karel Vránek.

  In December 1941, along with thousands of other Prague Jews, Gideon Klein was deported by Nazis to Terezín concentration camp. During his first few months in Terezín, despite of inhuman conditions there, he continued composing, organizing artistic events and encouraging his fellow prisoners Pavel Haas (1889 - 1944) - former pupil of Leoš Janáček, Hans Krása (1899 - 1944), Sigmund Schul (1916 -1944), James Simon (1880 - 1944) and Viktor Ullmann (1898 - 1944) - Arnold Schoenberg's pupil, to continue composing.

  On 16th October 1944, together with many of his colleagues, he was transported to Auschwitz (Osvětim) and from there to Fürstengrube, a coal-mining labour camp for men, near Katowitz in Poland. It is presumed that he was murdered there at the end of January 1945.

  Most of the works were saved by his sister Eliška Kleinová, who survived Auschwitz. Rediscovered Klein's compositions in June 1990, in Prague, includes the Duo for violin and cello written in 1939 - 1940 and over fifty years published by composer Vojtěch Saudek (1951 - 2003), grandnephew of Franz Kafka.

  For more about Gideon Klein visit http://www.Brikcius.com and http://En.Wikipedia.org/Wiki/Gideon_Klein .

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