In the early years  of the 20th Century, Heinz Lewin was one of Germany’s most successful composers, with a string of successful operettas to his name. 

The emergence of cinema saw him turn his hand to the new medium and he soon established himself as a leading composer of film scores. His music even appeared in Hollywood movies.

However, the 1930s saw his fortune change. When the Nazis took power, he was forced to compose under a different name, Heinz/Henri Letton and, ultimately, he fled Germany eventually settling in Paris.

The Nazi invasion in May 1940 saw Heinz interned as an enemy alien. For two years, he toiled in the labour camp of Septfonds. But he found a glimmer of light in the darkness, composing new songs to raise the spirits of his fellow internees.

Indeed, with permission from a benevolent commandant, he and the other prisoners even put on shows which were performed both for guards in the camp and for VIPs in nearby towns, with Heinz as Musical Director.

The clock, though, was ticking and in August 1942 the orders came through from the architect of the Holocaust himself, Adolf Eichmann: Two hundred Jews from Septfonds , Heinz among them, were to be ‘deported’.

While he would not disobey Eichmann, the camp commandant nonethless displayed his humanity and appreciation for his prisoners’ talents. He delayed the deportation by two days, so Heinz and the camp orchestra could perform one final show before they were sent to Auschwitz.