Massaging Himmler: A Poetic Biography of Dr Felix Kersten.

Poetry Anne M Carson

Piano Julian Bailey

The story of Dr Felix Kersten is a remarkable story, an archetypal story of the meeting of good and evil. But who is this relatively unknown man?

Dr Felix Kersten was masseur to Heinrich Himmler, one of the most feared high ranking Nazis, head of the Gestapo and the SS.

As a masseur, Kersten used his therapeutic expertise gain influence over Himmler, allowing him to secure the release of tens, possibly hundreds of thousands of people. Another, better known hero was Oskar Schindler, responsible for the release of 1,100.

Poems from the Massaging Himmler sequence are performed alongside Rachmaninov Preludes, Opus 23.

Julian Bailey, who has been playing some of the Preludes for over 40 years. The pieces combine passages of sublime lyricism with others of passionate intensity and make a perfect foil for the dramatic sequence of Massaging Himmler

Youtube interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CnZLir88AY&feature=youtu.be

http://annemcarson.com/massaging-himmler-a-poetic-biography-of-dr-felix-kersten/

http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/massaging-himmler#.V4jVZI7sep4

http://www.jhc.org.au/news-and-events/calendar-of-events/item/497-massaging-himmler.html

www.anemcarson.com

www.singinlogic.com.au

http://spokenword3cr.podbean.com/e/massaging-himmler-a-poetic-biography-of-dr-felix-kersten/