Hanns Eisler, the composer of the national anthem of the German Democratic Republic (former East Germany), based the work on texts by Bertold Brecht dealing with the war and Nazi terror. Impressive choruses and solo vocal sections drastically depict not only the suffering of Jews in the concentration camps but also the fate of soldiers abused as cannon fodder and sent back to the homeland in tin coffins.

HK Gruber, Austrian composer and the conductor of this performance, combined Eisler's "German Symphony" with music by Kurt Weill and one of his own orchestral works, entitled "Charivari." The name translates roughly as "Caterwauling." In the deconstruction of a polka melody, the work refers to the co-responsibility of Austrians for war and terror.