Stravinsky suffered from the First World War and its consequences for Europe; Bartok spoke out before and during the Second World War against the nationalist mood in twentieth-century Europe; Bartok’s friend and colleague, the Hungarian violinist Joseph Szigeti, to whom he dedicated his Contrasts trio, had to flee Hungary for the USA in 1939 on account of the dangerous antisemitic climate in the country. Mordechai Zeira and Yaakov Orland suffered from the violence and antisemitic attacks in Imperial Russia at the start of the 20th century; they had to emigrate and found a new homeland in what is now Israel. The German composer Jörg Widmann addresses the political question: “Do the Muses have the right to remain silent when the weapons speak?”. And finally there is the Poema trio by Roglit Ishay. It is dedicated to the people of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon (France), who risked their lives to save strangers from their Nazi persecutors. Music in spite of all – that is the principle common to our whole musical program. © Hänssler Classic