Alma Rose: Vienna to Auschwitz (Amadeus)

Alma Rose was an incredible human being. After spending the last few evenings immersed in her biography "Alma Rose: Vienna to Auschwitz", I was touched by her ability to use her violin to transcend the evil around her.Alma was born into the musical elite of turn-of-the-last-century Vienna, the capital of arts and music in Europe. Her uncle was Gustav Mahler and her father, Arnold Rose, the famous concertmaster and conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic. She had a fabled childhood surrounded by musicians and artists.Alma studied violin from her father at an early age and later with Sevcik. She toured Europe as concertmistress of an all women's orchestra she organized, and was briefly married to violin virtuoso Vasa Prihoda.All of the fame and glamour ended however when she was captured and interned in the dreaded Auschwitz. Fearing that she was about to be eliminated she asked for her last wish to be able to play the violin. Word quickly spread that she was the Alma Rose of the Rose Quartet and before she knew it, the camp supervisor, assigned her to lead a women's orchestra. For many of the players, the orchestra was the only chance of survival. Alma took pity on people who auditioned and tried to fit them in, whether it was as accordion player, or guitarist, or if they had no playing talent, as copyist and scribe. She took her job seriously, practicing 10-12 hours a day in addition to giving "concerts". All this was under the constant stress and threat of elimination if they did not prove their worthiness to the SS in charge.Alma maintained a musicality, and in those moments while playing music, they were transported out of their nightmare and back to the preWar Vienna, playing in a cafe. The music also affected both SS and prisoners alike, and on the Sunday concerts, prisoners strained to hear and grasp a small slice of beauty while SS overlords sat in the front row weeping with emotion. How they could love music so much and then turn around and kill mercilessly was beyond the comprehension of the survivors.Alma saved the lives of many women, and even though she perished, her bravery and dedication lives on in the stories of the survivors she helped.The author Richard Newman based the book on firsthand knowledge, primary sources such as letters and interviews with survivors, relatives, friends and contemporaries. He maintained a historical accuracy and honest portrayal of Alma's life. You will be touched while unable to grasp the enormity of the horrors that faced the people who were interned in the death camps.I read this book alongside with "Night" by Elie Wiesel who arrived at Auschwitz shortly before Alma's death. Both books are highly recommended although extremely sad, they show the resilience of the human spirit in absolutely horrible conditions.

Alma Rose's story is the most famous summary that confirms the name of the title I gave it. - Instead of just condemning the German Nazi Leader Hitler , his co- leaders and above all the then German people who did not fight it but accepted it and were , consequently , very much responsible for the biggest crime in history , Alma Rose just stuck close to her musical life - Even today in 2012 , the German people's Halocaust guilt seems to linger on. I just read in a Top German Newspaper (die Zeit ) that the German Government lately completed a survey where Germans could list their hopes, problems and disappointments they see in the future of Germany. The Zeit Paper Editor commented that the survey was not a success because , the editor stated, the readers hardly participated and he blaimed them for the failure ! , which I believe is completely wrong !The Germans DID NOT speak up before & during the Holocaust time and still have not learned or, which is even more important , have not been taught that in a democracy , speaking up is a key and most honorable endeavor ! - Can you just see how very different the answers to a similar survey in our country would have been .

"Alma Rose: Vienna to Auschwitz" by Richard Newman with Karen Kirtley is the kind of biography I enjoy most. The author provides the reader with not only a fascinating story of the Rose family but also brings to life the time in which these people lived. We see Alma' s life as a privileged young girl and woman. The many twists and turns of fate, poor judgement and unfortunate circumstances brings her to Auschwitz toward the end of WW11. Her time in the concentration camp reveals a remarkable individual existing under the most inhuman conditions. Her talent and strength of character resulted in her saving the lives of many woman who were members in the women's orchestra, of which she was the leader. An excellent, informative and ultimately powerful read.

Fascinating study of the life of Alma Rose, niece of Gustav Mahler, daughter of Arnold Rose, wife of Prihoda, and a violin virtuoso in her own right. After delivering her father to safety in England, she returned to the Continent to raise money to support her family, but was instead trapped in Hitler's Europe. This book is based on eyewitness accounts and other primary sources such as family letters, and examines how Ms. Rose built something beautiful in the midst of horror, bringing hope to many.

I very much enjoyed reading this book, in particular after I read Playing for Time. I am also a musician and I enjoyed reading Alma Rose's contribution to the world of music, along with the rest of her family. I was shocked to learn that she had originally been sent to the Experimental Block in Auschwitz and by a miracle she received a violin to play, which got her out of the Experimental Block.I have the Kindle edition of this book and my only complaint is that the book was not formatted very well to Kindle. Some words ran together and other words had large spaces in between. I find this particularly disappointing since the price was set by the publisher and a bit on the expensive side. For as much as I paid for it, the formatting should have been much better.

A great book about history. I have read many books about the holocaust, this I had not heard about Alma.

Too much time spent on every music she ever performed

Very moving story

Read this book years ago and it has always stayed with me. Was glad to find it and keep for my kids to maybe read it.She was a brillant musician whose life was cut short by unbelievable evil.

A somewhat extraordinary book. A remarkable story and a touching portrait of a musical family before and after the horror of the Third Reich. I did not know that Alma Mahler was so glamourous and such a star in Europe before the war. She helped so many musicians to survive Auschwitz. Her brother emigrated to Canada and was really never able to talk about his sister and her dreadful fate. He asked Richard Newman to do the job for him. Possibly a bit boringly written and it most certainly could have done with a better editor but the story is heartbreaking.