Original version

BBC Four

BBC 4

BBC Two

BBC Two is a TV channel that started broadcasting on the 20th April 1964.

BBC Two Scotland

BBC Two England

England

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Christopher Nupen

Alice Sommer Herz at 106: Everything Is a Present

Documentaries

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: History

27/01/2010

BBC Four - Alice Sommer Herz at 106: Everything Is a Presentsearch

Documentary about pianist and Holocaust survivor Alice Sommer Herz.

Documentary about pianist and Holocaust survivor Alice Sommer Herz. In the concentration camps she played more than 100 concerts, and credits music for saving her life.

Documentary which celebrates the extraordinary life of distinguished pianist and Holocaust survivor Alice Sommer Herz.

In the concentration camps where she was imprisoned she played more than 100 concerts, and credits music for saving her life during this horrific experience. At the age of 104 she gained international fame after a book based on her life, A Garden of Eden in Hell, became a bestseller, and was also the star of prize-winning film We Want the Light. 

Now aged 106, she is the second oldest person in London and continues to practice piano every day. In this film from when she was 98, in conversation with Christopher Nuphen, she speaks in her quiet and appealing way, even when she is describing shocking events, and she plays Schubert, Smetana and Beethoven in a style which the world has long forgotten. It is the style of Artur Schnabel, who was one of her teachers, a style redolent of a happier and more confident time in music making and one which many will find heartwarming.

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Alice Sommer Herz at 106: Everything Is a Present

Contributors

Genres

Formats

BBC Four

About BBC Four