This is Vladislav with his brother Paul in Novi Sad in the 1930’s.
Vlada was some kind of a big musical hope of Novi Sad. He played the violin. He started playing at age 13. At age 14 he played with Novi Sad philharmonic orchestra. He was 15 when in secret, secretly from his teacher learned Beethoven's Violin concert and played it for his birthday. Vlada told me that the teacher had first started crying and then scolded him.
Vlada attended the first high school for boys in Novi Sad, which was called Gymnasium of the Blessed King Aleksandar I. It was a custom that in January, on the day of Saint Sava 7 be held 'svetosavska beseda' [Saint Sava's speech]. It, with speeches, didn't have any connection, here there were chorales, recitations and different attractions, among others, every year one and that the best violinist and pianist took part in that program. Then he was told that because he was young he could only play the following year and that it would be for sure since there was nobody better than him. It was agreed to play Beethoven's F major romance. It was known who would be following him; it was also known who would be turning the pages of the sheet music for the pianist.
At the beginning of the winter holiday Vlada received the program for the Saint Sava's speech. At his big surprise he was not on the program, and that the same romance was to be performed by some Branko Jeremic, who attended the 5th grade. Vlada told me that he was not bad, but that Vlada was far better than him. Then Vlada asked his music teacher, some Mita Pernic, who he was very close with, 'what is this'? He remained silent for some time, and then he said, 'You know what, I will tell you, but don't tell anyone that you heard it from me. On teacher's council, there are two teachers', he also said which ones, 'they stood up and asked if it is necessary that some kind of plays for them at the Saint Sava's concert. And it ended as that'. It was already in 1940. People were afraid and why would they support some Vladislav Rothbart? For Vlada it was not a musical blow, but a national one. Vlada considered it a clear anti-Semite provocation, because the Yugoslav government had been more and more approaching Hitler.
It was the atmosphere of Novi Sad, the atmosphere of a cultural center that was not burdened with something that is today called 'gorstacki element' [mountaineer element, barbarian element]. The majority of Serbs, intellectuals, spoke there Hungarian, German and French. The majority of Serbian intellectuals were educated either in Vienna, Paris or Pest. It was an irrational thing to be chauvinist, when you are everywhere, at everyplace surrounded with people of different nations.
