By, Marcus Dysch
1 min read
ByMarcus Dysch, Marcus Dysch
Prince Charles marked the anniversary of Kristallnacht at a special tribute concert honouring those who fled to Britain on the Kindertransport.
The heir to the throne was guest of honour at the London premiere of The Last Train to Tomorrow, a musical re-telling of the story of the 10,000 Jewish children who found refuge from Nazi oppression.
Former Kinder met the prince at a reception following the performance at the Roundhouse in Camden, north London, on Sunday afternoon.
The event was organised by the Association of Jewish Refugees. Prince Charles is a long-standing supporter of the charity and last year welcomed 400 guests to Clarence House to mark the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Kindertransport.
The Last Train to Tomorrow, commissioned by the Manchester-based Hallé Orchestra, was conducted by award-winning composer Carl Davis and performed by the Finchley Children's orchestra.
The 10 songs that feature in the performance are linked through a first-person narrative that ends with the children's arrival at Liverpool Street Station and the start of their new lives in Britain.
Celebrated children's author Hiawyn Oram wrote the text that accompanies the music.
In the audience were Holocaust survivors and former Kinder who had come to Britain after November 1938.
Television presenter Natasha Kaplinsky, a member of David Cameron's Holocaust Commission, compèred the event, which began with a dedication by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg and six Kinder who lit memorial candles.
AJR chairman Andrew Kaufman and Sir Erich Reich, chairman of the charity's special Kindertransport group, said Prince Charles's attendance had added to the emotion of the day.
"AJR was deeply honoured and enormously proud that the Prince of Wales personally decided to honour us with his presence," the men said in a joint statement.
"Having met Kinder at events to mark the 70th and 75th anniversaries of the Kindertransport, we feel very privileged that he could be part of this historic occasion."
The concert also featured Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro overture and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. The City of London Sinfonia played alongside violin soloist Louisa Staples.