ALBERTO HEMSI - DANSES NUPTIALES GRECQUES I (arr. E. Orkin - JCOM | Daniel Grossmann, conductor)

ALBERTO HEMSI - DANSES NUPTIALES GRECQUES I
arr. Evgeni Orkin (from 'The Keys of Toledo')

Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich
Daniel Grossmann, conductor

Live-recording 28. September 2025
Ballhof Eins Theatre, Hannover (Germany)
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THE KEYS OF TOLEDO - The music of the Sephardic Jews
(DIE SCHLÜSSEL VON TOLEDO - Die Musik der sephardischen Juden)

Concept: Daniel Grossmann and Martin Valdés-Stauber
Composition by Evgeni Orkin
Text by Martin Valdés-Stauber

Alexandra Chatzopoulou-Saia (Thessaloniki), actress
Janet and Esim Ensemble (Istanbul)
Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich
Daniel Grossmann, conductor

In 1933, people came into the embassy of the Spanish Republic in Berlin to seek asylum. They were speaking an old Spanish idiom. They could easily communicate — and yet were not granted refuge in Spain. This event encapsulates the history of the Sephardic Jews over the past centuries: expulsion, refuge, and ultimately, in many places across Europe, persecution and death.

In 1492 the Sephardic Jews were expelled from Spain. When they fled, many Jewish families took the keys to their homes with them, a symbol of their hope of returning home one day. Some families still own these keys to this day. For over 500 years they have held onto an object that reminds them of the loss of their homeland.

Together with the Esim Ensemble, a family of Sephardic musicians from Istanbul, and the Sephardic actress Alexandra Chatzopoulou-Saia, a descendant of Shoah survivors from Thessaloniki, the Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich, under the direction of Daniel Grossmann, explores how Sephardic Judaism was able to preserve its traditions for centuries even though during the Shoah its heritage was almost wiped out within a few months.

In addition to their language, Ladino, music became crucial for Sephardic Jews in exile to preserve their common identity. The musical piece “Die Schlüssel von Toledo” (The Keys of Toledo, music: Evgeni Orkin, text: Martin Valdés-Stauber) takes a stroll through the history of Sephardic Judaism and allows their music to resound in bright colors.

Language of the show: Judeoespañol (Ladino) with subtitles in German, Greek, Spanish and English respectively
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A project of the Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich in collaboration with:
Schauspiel Hannover, Münchner Kammerspiele, Musikhochschule Lübeck, Thalia Theater Hamburg, Goethe Institut in Thessaloniki and Madrid, Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki Concert Hall, Instituto Cervantes, Real Academia de la Lengua Española, Centro Sefarad Madrid, Fundacíon Teatro Joven, Auditorio Nacional, Künstlerisches Forschungsfeld “Erinnerung als Arbeit an der Gegenwart”, Käte Hamburger Kolleg global dis:connect

The project is funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) and the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) as part of the Education Agenda NS-Injustice.