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Sigi on the Accordion

Shivah Stars

by
Marc Tracy
January 12, 2012
Alexis Weissenberg.(Brownie Harris/NYT)
Alexis Weissenberg.(Brownie Harris/NYT)

Each week, we select the most interesting Jewish obituary. This week, it’s that of Alexis Weissenberg, who died Sunday in Switzerland at 82. Before living in Switzerland, he lived in France, New York, pre-war Palestine, Turkey, and Bulgaria, where he was born. He and his mother tried to escape into Turkey in 1941, but instead were put in a concentration camp; they were allowed out because a German officer enjoyed the way “Sigi” performed Schubert on an accordion. “Weissenberg’s cool yet blazing approach divided reviewers,” the obituary notes. “Where some heard impeccable technique, others heard soulless efficiency. Where some embraced the drama of his interpretations, others condemned them for aggressiveness.” You be the judge:

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.