Joachim Mendelson

The Polish Jewish composer Joachim Mendelson was almost completely erased from history by the Nazi destruction of Warsaw in 1944. Only five works of what was apparently a substantial output survived, and they testify that Mendelson was a major talent. His five surviving works are his String Quartet No. 1, Symphony No. 2, Oboe Quintet, Violin Sonata, and Chamber Symphony; these works have all been recorded, but only once or twice as of the mid-2020s. In Paris, Mendelson joined the Association des Jeunes Musiciens Polonais, an organization of young Polish composers. At least some of his works were performed there. During the Warsaw Uprising, he went into hiding at 13 Dzielna Street but was discovered and killed by the Gestapo as German troops rolled in.