Personal aspirations - The concerto scene Zishe set up for Marta

I have to salute the story maker (or Wener Herzog) for their artistic sensitivity in devising and weaving that little element of Zishe's gift to Marta into the story. What a thoughtful gesture (on his part) to someone like Marta who lived for her music, myriads more so than American kids who buy guitars and instruments but don't spend years at University or intense applied regimen to give merit to their devotion like she did. Although she hadn't been able to find employment as a concert pianist (in Depression era Europe, nonetheless!) she was relegated to demeaning employment by Hanussen while all her aesthetic aspirations had yet been unfulfilled. So the relief and joy she must have felt when she felt those first chordal sounds from the orchestra as sound waves (not just to be received in the ears, but throughout her entire body), must have been overwhelming emotionally.

It's difficult for the non-musician to understand the negative aspects of not being able to fulfill one's built-up artistic ambitions in somebody that's yearned so deeply to express herself artistically and devoted years of intense study so that she was primed and ready to go, but unable to use their gift. Even Hitler's character and actions were molded by his frustration as an artist, and he'd been rejected by every art college he applied to. Marta was a graduate of one of the prestigious universities and you could hear how accomplished she was when she played.