From Buchenwald to Carnegie Hall

Farewell to Europe

The only problem with my studying with Professor Gieseking was that it was keeping my brothers and myself from taking advantage of American laws allowing concentration camp survivors to emigrate . We knew the window of opportunity could close for us if we acted as if we didn't want to go. Luckily, God provides. One day I received a telephone call from an American who said he'd like to study piano with me. He had been workingfor the U.S. government in Paris before being transferred to Frankfurt. He said Parisians who knew my playing had recommended me. "Why don't you come on over?" I said. "We can talk about it more." He stopped by, and since he seemed like a really nice fellow, I agreed to take him on as a student. "By the way," I asked him, "what kind of work do you do here?" "Oh, I'm the new consul in the American zone in charge of emigration to the United States." I nearly fell out of my chair! "God sent you! I'll be glad to teach 164 tareuemll to Eunope Farewell to Europe 165 you, and you don't have to pay me anything. Yousee, I'm studying with a fantastic pianist, Walter Gieseking, and I don't want to cut this opportunity short. My brothers and I want to emigrate to America all right, but not just yet. Can you hold our papers back?" "No problem." Joel wanted us to go, and the sooner the better, but Michael emphatically argued that we should stay in Germany. "You're mak^ ing a great career in Germany," he told me. "You're nearly worshiped here as an artist." The Germans were different now that the Hitler hysteria was gone. They had always been tremendous music lovers, and since the war ended, the situation had changed. "Everything is different now," Michael said, "and you should take advantage of it. Why rush off? Youhave concerts, you already have a car and a piano, plus you are being invited everywhere." And it was true. It was a wonderful life. It really was. At that time Mr. Gembicki had parties almost everyweek. Besides being the assistant provost marshal of Frankfurt under the Americans, Mr. Gembicki was an ardent music lover and, conveniently , a multimillionaire. He bought a villa, put a beautiful Steinway in it, and turned his house into a music center, a salon filled with marvelouswine, food, and song. Opera singers, American generals, and symphony musicians all went to his wonderful parties. The commander of the American army in Europe, Lieutenant General Clarence Huebner, also went there. He was a great friend of Mr. Gieseking. Judge Leventhal, the U.S. government's adviser for Jewish affairs in Germany, also attended. Everyone always had a wonderful time. I told Mr. Gieseking about these evenings. There was great food—which nobody had back then—and all the wine and drinks you wanted. Mr. Gieseking liked to have a little drink now and again, so after he finally agreed, I took him there. The appearance of Walter Gieseking at the party caused quite a stir. When he walked in, jaws dropped. Twodivasfrom the opera wereimmediately 166 After the Storm beside themselves. "Oh, Mr. Gieseking, if we had known you were coming, we would have brought our music with us." "Don't worry about it, ladies," he said. "What would you like to sing? Let's go." He sat down at the piano and played the introduction from any opera they wanted and every aria they requested, accompanying their singing as if they had all been creating music together for twenty years! And what an accompanist! Any singer should have such an accompanist for five minutes! After it was all over they fell on their knees—I saw it with my own eyes—and kissed his hands and wept. Mr. Gieseking created this sort of atmosphere among singers and musicians. In their world, he was God. Few people in America have any idea what it meant in Europe to be a classical musician. One warm spring day in Frankfurt I had my apartment windows open as I was playing the piano when suddenly I thought that I'd better close them so I didn't disturb anybody. I had hardly finished closing them when the phone rang: "Mr. Filar, we are your neighbors from across the street. Why did...