This almost cinematic work grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let you go - Reporters Online

Lex van Weren was one of the greatest trumpet players of the last century. In the fifties and sixties he caused a furore as conductor of the popular City Theatre Orchestra in Amsterdam. In addition, he played trumpet for radio and television for many years, and gained great popularity with his disinterested performances for charities. In 1964 he was one of the first to receive a Golden Harp, thanks to his great contributions to Dutch light music.

Van Weren was silent about his war time memories for decades, until writer Dick Walda managed to persuade him to tell his incredible story in 1980. Van Weren was one of the few to have survived Auschwitz. His performances in the "camp orchestra" gave him a position that enabled him not only to save himself but to be of support to others - even during Germany's infamous death march. His impressive eyewitness account shows how war and fascism really deform people.

With his story, Lex van Weren (1920-1996) wanted to call for vigilance: "Freedom is the most precious good that we possess." A message that has still not lost any of its urgency.