Jazz with history: Ted Rosenthal comes to Giessen!

Jazz with history: Ted Rosenthal comes to Giessen!

On May 28, 2025, the New York jazz pianist and composer Ted Rosenthal will give a concert in the Hermann Levi Hall of the Giessen Town Hall. This event takes place at the invitation of the Institute for Musicology and Music Education at the Justus Liebig University of Giessen (JLU). Admission is free and the concert starts at 8 p.m.

Considered one of the most important jazz pianists of his generation, Rosenthal has collaborated with generous artists such as Gerry Mulligan, received a Grammy nomination and released a total of 15 albums. His latest work, the recording “High Standards”, has received international attention. For the concert he will perform together with Martin Gjakonovski on bass and Berthold Möller on drums.

A moving legacy

The connection between Rosenthal and Gießen is particularly important. His father, Erich Rosenthal, was expelled from the JLU in 1933 because of his Jewish origins. This painful past deeply influenced Rosenthal and inspired him to compose the jazz opera “Dear Erich,” which premiered at the New York City Opera. The work addresses the letters that Erich received from his family during his emigration to Chicago and highlights the effects of the Holocaust on his relatives.

The opera goes into detail about Erich's experiences, which are characterized by survivor's guilt and the difficult relationship with his children Freddy and Hannah. These two adults visit their sick father while he struggles in the present with the memory of his late mother Herta, who keeps appearing in his thoughts. Herta, who remembers the atrocities of the Nazi regime, calls for vigilance against hatred.

Erich's fate is intertwined with numerous memories and letters that testify to the terrible events of that time. These letters that Freddy and Hannah discover tell of the persecution of his family and the painful stories of the past. A central element of the story is the examination of history and the meaning of memory and remembrance.

Artistic collaboration and context

Ted Rosenthal got involved with the institute in November 2023 and was part of an interdisciplinary project that was intended to combine music, pedagogy and cultures of remembrance. During his stay at JLU, he gave lectures and discussed the connection between music and historical memories with various professors. The anthology “Cultures of Remembrance and Democracy Education” was also created in this context and will be presented before the concert on May 28th at 7 p.m.

The organization of this concert is supported not only by the JLU, but also by the cultural office of the university town of Giessen. This provides an opportunity to musically engage with important topics that are both personally and socially significant. Through his music, Ted Rosenthal will not only entertain, but also inspire reflection on memories and preserving the lessons of history.

This concert and the accompanying events are all about remembering and engaging with the past, which remains relevant in the present.