Walter-Gieseking-Straße

On the trail of a pianist.

Background information

Walter Gieseking was a pianist during the Nazi era; he learned to play the piano in Hannover. While other musicians accused him of being too close to the Nazi regime, he supported his Jewish concert agent and friend after the latter was banned from performing.

Description of the work

The choice of the piano as a motif reflects Gieseking’s profession; the song being played was composed by a Jewish composer, Arnold Schoenberg, whose works Gieseking performed on numerous occasions. This leaves us with the task of determining Gieseking’s true political stance, as well as the question of whether a street should be named after him today.