On January 29 at noon, the European Parliament will honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a special plenary session in Brussels, featuring a poignant address

by Corrie Hermann.

The ceremony will begin with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola delivering an opening speech to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day, traditionally observed on January 27. Following her remarks, attendees will experience a moving musical performance of a concerto composed by Pál Hermann, a celebrated Hungarian-born cellist and composer who was murdered by the Nazis in 1944.

Corrie Hermann, the daughter of Pál Hermann, will share her father’s remarkable and tragic story with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Her address will recount his life, career, and the devastating impact of the Holocaust. During the performance, Pál Hermann’s original Gagliano cello—rescued under extraordinary circumstances during the war—will be featured.

After a minute of silence observed by MEPs, the ceremony will conclude with a performance of "Kaddish" by Maurice Ravel, a powerful piece that serves as a tribute to those who perished.

The session will be broadcast live for viewers to join this solemn commemoration.

The story of Corrie and Pál Hermann

Pál Hermann, born on March 27, 1902, in Budapest, was a student of Béla Bartók and widely regarded as one of the finest cellists of his time. During the 1920s, he moved to Berlin and toured Europe, performing on his prized Gagliano cello.

When the Nazis rose to power in 1933, Hermann fled to Belgium and later France to escape persecution. In 1944, he was arrested by the Nazis in Toulouse. During his deportation, Hermann managed to toss a note from the train, pleading for his cherished cello to be saved. The note was discovered, and a friend of his cycled 100 kilometers to retrieve the instrument. Risking his own safety, the friend broke into Hermann’s house, replaced the Gagliano with a lesser instrument, and escaped with the precious cello strapped to his back.

Tragically, Pál Hermann was killed in a Nazi camp in the Baltics later that year. However, his Gagliano cello survived and was rediscovered 80 years later when it appeared in the Queen Elisabeth Competition, being played by a competitor.

Now 92 years old, Corrie Hermann will recount her father’s life, legacy, and the enduring significance of his music during the European Parliament’s commemorative session. Photo by Mary-Grace Blaha Schexnayder, Wikimedia commons.