KINO IM O-TON // Mittwoch 15.7.2026 // 19:30h // „EMERGING FROM THE SHADOWS – REDISCOVERING THE LEGACIES OF WEINBERG AND KORNGOLD“ (SeeTheSound Festival)
EMERGING FROM THE SHADOWS – REDISCOVERING THE LEGACIES OF WEINBERG AND KORNGOLD
Born in Warsaw and Vienna, bound by their Jewish heritage, composers Mieczysław Weinberg and Erich Wolfgang Korngold were both forced to flee the Holocaust, Weinberg finding refuge in the USSR, Korngold reinventing himself as a Hollywood film composer. Director Veronika Emily Pohl traces their contrasting lives and neglected legacies, through the efforts of conductor Constantine Orbelian and cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper to bring their music the recognition it deserves.
Screening @o-ton.koeln // Kyllstraße 7A // 50678 Köln
Wednesday, 7/15/2026 at 19:30
The film director, Veronika Emily Pohl will be in attendance for a Q&A following the screening.
Entrance: 5.00 € VAT incl. // Tickets: link here: SeeTheSound
(accredited can attend with their badges):
GRAMMY®-nominated US-conductor Constantine Orbelian, chief conductor of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, and Israel-based cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper who hope to facilitate the transcendence of the two composers’ legacy: Out of the shadows and towards the recognition their music deserves.
In adjacent segments we delve into the history of Weinberg’s and Korngold’s very contrasting lives. Born respectively in Warsaw and Vienna and bound by their Jewish heritage, both composers were forced to flee the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II: Weinberg finding refuge in the far eastern part of the U.S.S.R. before resettling to Moscow, while Korngold fled to the USA and established himself as a film score composer in Hollywood.
In today’s turbulent times, 80 years after the end of World War II, the documentary „Emerging from the Shadows“ reminds us how artistic resilience and integrity are values worth fighting as much as ever.
The film’s director is Veronika Emily Pohl is a US-German journalist and documentary filmmaker. She specializes on artist portraits, music documentaries and multi-camera directing of concert and stage productions.
Directed by: Veronika Emily Pohl
Composer (Original Score): Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Composer of the opera „Die tote Stadt“; „Das Wunder der Heliane“; Oscar winning Film Score for „Robin Hood“ | Mieczyslaw Weinberg – Composer of the Cello Concerto in c minor op 43; Opera „The Passenger“; 26 symphonies
Sounddesign: Vilius Keras, Baltic Mobile Recordings
Edited by: Veronika Emily Pohl
Cast: Constantine Orbelian – four time GRAMMY®-nominated conductor; Music Director and Principal Conductor New York City Opera; Chief Conductor Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra Kristina Reiko Cooper – American cellist; Musical Director Israel Chamber Music Society, Vice President of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation; Board Mmember of the Charney Forum for New Diplomacy; Visiting Professor Tel Aviv University Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Composer of the opera „Die tote Stadt“; „Das Wunder der Heliane“; Oscar winning Film Score for „Robin Hood“ Mieczyslaw Weinberg – Composer of the Cello Concerto in c minor op 43; Opera „The Passenger“; 26 symphonies
