“June 20th, 1942. Dear Kitty, I am thirteen years old” begins Andrea Marcovicci in this recording of Michael A Cohen’s I Am Anne Frank. This 1996 recording is presented as a song cycle based on Cohen’s original 1965 off-Broadway stage production entitled Yours, Anne. The motif heard with this first phrase, “Dear Kitty…” begins a spiral of words and song that takes one through the last days of Anne Frank’s life, based on her diary accounts.

The Holocaust, with a a death toll that is too high, too incalculable, and too emotionally devastating to comprehend, presents a difficult subject matter to paint with a musical brush. Cohen, via Marcovicci, presents a minimalist piano/vocal/strings/woodwinds arrangement with melodies that provoke contemplation and reflection. Volleying back and forth between major, minor, and dissonant phrases, Cohen captures the complex tone of the diary through a cycle of orchestral, melodic, and spoken moments. He maintains a loose song structure, which allows lyricist Enid Futterman to create an accurate, and poetic, transcription of Anne’s account.

This recording is rich in suspended moments of musical instances that evoke a strong emotional response. A good example is the descending, slow last moments of the first song, when the melody shifts into a descending phrase, and Anne laments that she can “never, ever, go. out. side.” Another example is in the title track, when the song builds and builds and suddenly ceases, followed by Marcovicci singing solo “I’m afraid of the dark, I’m alone in the dark” before the melody resumes. In many ways, the musical account is both haunting and riveting. Marcovicci’s consistent, rich vocal tone delivers the alternating songs and monologues in a beautiful and appropriate manner.

Highlights of the recording are the opening and final numbers, as well the songs First Chanukah Night, and I Am Anne Frank. The latter of which is a devastating piece of music. This entire 1996 recording is taken at a slower and darker tempo/tone than its original 1985 incarnation. It is absolutely one of my favorite recordings, and one of the best song cycles I’ve ever heard.