The Ballad of Mauthausen is seen worldwide as one of the most gorgeous musical pieces ever to be written about the Second World War. It is a collaboration between the Greek poet Iakovos Kambanellis, who was a survivor of Kamp Mauthausen, and Mikis Theodorakis, the famous Greek composer, banned for his activism against social injustice. Since it has been over 75 years of liberation from the Nazi regime, it felt like a perfect moment to re-address this musical piece, resulting in a new, haunting, and extraordinary composition of The Ballad of Mauthausen.
This project was made to connect two different worlds that are still so important: the pre and post-war lives of all those affected by the Second World War, whether European or American. The goal being to raise attention for the events of the past, to address injustices for the future, and to connect and respect our differences in the present. For this project a beautiful Yiddish translation has been chosen instead of the original Greek used by poet Iakovos Kambanellis, to not only emphasize and give voice to those who perished in Europa and those who fled Eastern-Europe before, during, and after the Second World War, but to also show that the Yiddish language is still alive, and has been and is still a very important part of Jewish culture worldwide.