obitoftheday:

Obit of the Day: 88 Keys to Freedom

When Alexis Weissenberg was twelve, he and his mother fled Bulgaria as the Nazi army marched across Eastern Europe. They hoped to make it to Turkey. Captured for trying to illegally cross the border they were placed in a local concentration camp. Prepared to be sent to a death camp, instead a Nazi officer became enthralled with young Weissenberg’s ability to play the piano. After three months, the officer helped the boy and his mother escape to Turkey. 

Weissenberg, now a world-famous pianist, moved to France after the war and died there at the age of 82.

(Image of Weissenberg’s hands copyright of the New York Times and courtesy of emol.com)