Anne Frank's Holocaust

Composed By: Mark Leggett

Distributed by: EarthSonix Records

Reviewed by Melissa Minners


            I've read The Diary of Anne Frank numerous times and always wondered what happened after Anne and her family were found by the Nazis and sent away to concentration camps.  In 2015, a new documentary, Anne Frank's Holocaust, details the Franks experiences after their capture, continuing through to the liberation of the Bergen-Belson camp.  The insight of Anne Frank's surviving friends and the perspective of their Nazi captors was used to illuminate us as to what happened to the Franks after the last pages of Anne's diary.

            The musical score of Anne Frank's Holocaust was created by American composer Mark Leggett.  An Air Force kid, Mark Leggett spent time in a variety of locales all over the world and would check out the music scene in every area, discovering the exotic sounds of Guam and the Asian-Pacific territories as well as the R&B of Arkansas, the Kansas City blues and the grunge rock of Washington State.  In the 1980s, the self-taught guitarist was featured as a songwriter or performer for such notable artists as Kylie Minogue, Eminem and Martika.  He eventually got into composing music for television and film, co-composing music for The Pretenders, My Name Is Earl, Dark Secrets of the Lusitania and JFK: The Final Hours

            The music found on the Anne Frank's Holocaust Soundtrack is minimalistic, featuring pianos, strings and guitars.  The music is sad, depicting a great sense of loss and yet, there is an incredible sense of beauty found within the ten tracks of the album.  According to Leggett, "The musical goal for Anne Frank's Holocaust was to maintain a sense of innocence and loss, reminding us of what could have been.  The director/producer and I discussed using simple themes and supporting them with string orchestra while keeping a minimalist approach... We did not want to overpower Anne Frank's story with too many dense dark textures, which can be a tendency with WWII subject matter.  We shied away from reflecting the horror musically and let the imagery speak for itself. I began by scoring the scenes depicting Anne Frank's childhood and the memories of her surviving childhood friends.  These initial melodies became the source material for the developing score."

            The emotions of the time and locale are beautifully expressed in this music, making the album a perfect accompaniment to the subject matter of the documentary and a terrific stand alone album that tells the listener a story through the magic of music.  There is a morose beauty to the Anne Frank's Holocaust Soundtrack that makes this album a must listen for fans of musical scoring. 

