The Son

Cesare Frustaci Remembers “You, Fascinating You”

I have known Cesare Frustaci since the late 1980s, yet only now, after years of researching his family history, can I begin to fathom his prickly fortitude. I suppose we love each other, though we are more apt to spar than to stroke.

In this interview Cesare takes us “backstage,” where his childhood unfolded and air raids were as common as curtain calls.

The composer as a young man

1) You had an unusual childhood. Not only were you the son of two performing artists, but you learned at a tender age what it is like to endure separation, persecution, hunger… How has your early life made you the person you are today?

I inherited my mother’s discipline, perseverance and determination along with with my father’s inventive and Bohemian talent and lifestyle. The word “impossible” never entered my vocabulary. In my life everything was difficult, nothing impossible.

I grew up in theaters’ backstages and dressing rooms. At an early age I learned the adage, “The show must go on.”

Circumstances of my childhood—such as finding myself alone on the streets during WWII—forced me to develop a rapid decision-making process. I question manmade rules and frequently do not follow them. I decide by myself what to do and, above all, what not to do.

2) When did you first begin to research your parents’ story—and what prompted you to undertake this labor of love?

My mother never spoke about the horrors she endured as a Jew under fascism, but late in life she suffered nightmarish hallucinations. At her deathbed I found 13 love letters from my father that she somehow managed to save from the ravages of war. They spoke to my heart and awakened my desire to know the whole truth.

3) You met author Germaine Shames more than twenty years ago. What do you recall about that meeting?

She was a very attractive young woman, and an opinionated one. She bombarded me with questions and seemed to take a genuine interest in my stories. Twenty years later, my wife Judy encouraged me to write my stories down. I remembered the writer I had met so long before—a woman, a Jew, a feminist. Who could have been better suited to understand my mother and to feel the gravity of events that threatened to crush her spirit?

4) You were baptized and raised a Roman Catholic, yet your mother was Jewish. How has your interfaith background affected your life and beliefs?

When I was six or seven years old, on Fridays and Saturdays I went with my Orthodox Jewish friend Alex to the synagogue, and on Sundays my mother took me to the Catholic Church where I was an altar boy. I consider myself a genuine Roman Catholic Jew.

The ballerina in training at the Budapest Opera

5) Your father was a talented conductor and composer. “Tu Solamente Tu” (later to become “You, Fascinating You”) is the song for which he is most remembered. Why this song? What is its power?

“Tu Solamente Tu” is a very mellifluous, easy-to-remember melody with touching lyrics by Michele Galdieri.

Your book defines the song as “a universal anthem to longing.” The magic of “Tu Solamente Tu” or “You, Fascinating You” or “Du Immer Wieder Du” is exactly that. The world is full of longing, and this song expresses that longing in a melodic and memorable way.

6) The biographical novel You, Fascinating You reveals intimate details of your family history. How does it feel to be the subject of a book? What do you hope readers will glean from your parents’ story?

History generally repeats itself. We witness this phenomenon every day.

Holocaust deniers are addressing young generations to plant the seed of doubt in their minds. I hope that my eyewitness story and my parents’ stories will reach young people and will act as an antidote to the venom of this neo-Nazi throng.

The Holocaust claimed eleven million victims—Jews, Gypsies, handicapped, homosexuals, Catholic priests, and nearly everyone opposing the Nazi’s actions. In memory of those innocent children, mothers, fathers, and elderly I cannot and will not keep my mouth shut. My sixty-year silence is over.

Cesare Frustaci has made a mission of sharing his story and insights at schools, churches, and synagogues around the world. If you would like Cesare to speak with your group, email him at cesarefrustaci@msn.com.

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