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Firstly two messages from your scribe: This short book was written by a music-lover, and is non-technical – but could be demanding in the best of ways. Secondly, it is intended to raise funds for one of the country’s most courageous arts festivals in a time of crisis, so please take a risk and give what I have not taken for writing it.

Over the last few decades, whenever the music of the Holocaust is discussed, the focus is usually on five Czech composers, whose work, even that which survived, effectively ‘disappeared’ for years – Pavel Haas, Gideon Klein, Hans Krása, Erwin Schulhoff and Viktor Ullmann. The interwar years were ones of freedom for the new Czech Republic, and artistically throughout much of Europe the birth of ‘modernism’ meant turbulent change, with sometimes crazy experiment and conventional boundaries of every kind all but disappearing. ‘Music’ thus meant not only classical forms, but jazz, dance music, cabaret, popular song. In an open, conversational style David tries to give some idea of how the world seemed to our composers, emphasising the essential international connections. However, the constant grinding ground-bass was the rise and ultimate triumph of fascism, but in his account he hopes you will nevertheless find something uplifting amidst the tragedy and terror. Further details are here.

The Cook Sisters: Heroines of the Holocaust - the remarkable true story of two ordinary lasses from Sunderland, who achieved extraordinary things. They were an eccentric pair: spinster sisters who lived for opera, travelling the world to listen to their favourite performers sing. Yet Ida and Louise Cook harboured a secret. For years, they worked to bring Jews out of Nazi Europe, using their avid opera-going as a cover. In all, the sisters saved the lives of 29 Jews.