Leon Gurvitch

Anne Frank Suite

The composer, whose family was severely affected by the Second World War and the Holocaust, considers his Anne Frank Suite as a "personal memorial diary and a reminder in view of the futility of war". The score is prefaced by a quotation from Anne Frank: "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart", which has impressed the composer since his youth. His three-movement suite attempts to musically reflect the emotionality and thoughtfulness of the theme, which eludes all words. The piano is treated in a classical manner and creates the emotional space for the solo cello. Playing in a high register in a cantabile style over long passages, the cello also astounds with sound effects, harmonics and an expressive solo cadenza in the middle of the work.