It is not easy to put into words a five-hour long, important documentary.
So let’s make it very short,

By means of interviews, music fragments and archive films, Christopher Nuppen sketches a picture of the role that Jews have played in German culture: art, literature and music. Their urge for assimilation, inspired among others by Lessing, could only end in tragedy, because “that symbiosis had taken place inside our minds but not in the minds of the Germans”.

Wagner’s role in bringing about the Holocaust is also being examined. Norman Lebrecht says that “he is the one most to blame”, but the mayor of Rishon L’tzion (where, in October 2000, the first performance of Wagner’s music by an Israeli orchestra took place) denies this: “we will not let them take away the music from us, it has nothing to do with it”.

The survivors talk about the great significance that music has had in their lives: “if you could play you felt happy and healthy, the music gave us strength” says the then 98-year old Alice Summer.

The title of Christopher Nupen’s film, We want the light, is taken from a poem written in Theresienstadt by a 12-year-old girl, Eva Pickova.

Vladimir Ashkenazy:

Producer Christopher Nupen talks about the characteristics of his films, the power of music and introduces his film “We Want The Light”.

We want the light
film by Christopher Nupen
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Evgeni Kissin, Zubin Mehta, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Alice Summer and others.
Opus Arte OA CN0909 D (3 DVDs)