Special collections

After Hitler came to power, the German singer and actor Ernst Busch spent some time in Belgium. He stayed with the Kleinhaus family in Antwerp, among others. His father, Kleinhaus, a fervent admirer of Busch, financed several recordings in a Parisian studio. War broke out, and Busch vanished without a trace. The masters were never collected, so the studio sent them to the client in Antwerp. With the knowledge of a customs officer, they remained hidden in a corner of the customs warehouse during the war, under the watchful eye of the Nazis. Years later, his daughter Antoinette Kleinhaus discovered that Busch had survived the war. By then, the records had long been reissued. She donated them to Amsab-ISG in the 1980s, along with her incredible story. They are beautiful, captivating versions of some classics from the Spanish Civil War.