Why was classical music so important to Nazis? An insight into that is provided by the stories of a Jewish cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch who survived Auschwitz and of a star conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler who worked with the Nazis. The film centers around two people who represent musical culture during the Third Reich. Wilhelm Furtwängler was a star conductor, whereas Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was a cellist of the infamous Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz. The conductor made a pact with Hitler and his henchmen. The young woman, brought to Auschwitz for being Jewish, was spared death for her musical talent.

The 9th Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most popular pieces of classical music in the world. Even those who are not passionate about classical music recognize the famous Ode to Joy. Despite the grim context in which it was created, the 9th Symphony leaves us fascinated, moved and uplifted by its creativity, its power and its culmination in the Ode to Joy. More than 160 years after it was written, Beethoven’s hymn to brotherhood was adopted by the European Union as its official anthem. But Beethoven’s Ninth is also met with enthusiasm far beyond the borders of Europe. What’s the explanation for its never-ending success? What is it about this work of art that fascinates people all over the world?