The Last Musician of Auschwitz Doc for BBC Arts

Two Rivers Media has been commissioned to produce The Last Musician of Auschwitz, a feature documentary marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, for BBC Arts.

The 90-minute film will tell the story of Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who, along with other victims of Auschwitz, played and created music amid the terrors of the Holocaust. An interview with the 99-year-old Lasker-Wallfisch, the only living musician to have played in one of the Auschwitz orchestras, will frame the documentary.

It will show how, despite living in the most brutal and dehumanizing of situations, prisoners were secretly composing music while in the camps, a testament to the human spirit and the power of creativity. Music was a means of survival, an act of resistance and a way to feel, however fleetingly, human again.

It will weave in the stories of four other musicians from all over Europe who are now dead but whose music and words live on. This includes classically trained pianist Adam Kopyciński from Krakow; composer Szymon Laks from Paris; choirmaster Martin Rosebery D’Arguto from Berlin; and singer-songwriter Ilse Weber from Prague.

With songs and instrumental works by the featured musicians, the film also includes a newly discovered work by Weber that hasn’t been performed since the war, as well as a lullaby from Kopyciński, which was written in Auschwitz and has just been recorded for the first time.

The Last Musician of Auschwitz is funded by Access, which also funded the Oscar-winning Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest. Abacus Media Rights is handling international distribution.

“We feel privileged to tell Anita’s story and showcase the music which she and others created,” said Alan Clements, managing director and executive producer at Two Rivers Media. “The access we have gained, not only to Anita and to respective family and friends, but also to cultural and musical archives, means we can tell this profound story in the best way possible, ensuring that this music continues to be widely heard and celebrated.”

“This important film tells the story of Auschwitz through the powerful lens of music,” commented Danny Cohen, president of Access. “It will be a moving, surprising and sometimes shocking film—an innovative hybrid of observational documentary, expert interview, archive, highly stylized drama and music. We are extremely proud to be involved in this project.”

Suzy Klein, head of BBC Arts and classical music TV, added, “On the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, The Last Musician of Auschwitz shows how music itself can testify both to what these musicians of the Holocaust endured and how they tried to endure it. It’s a privilege to be bringing this very special music to a new audience.”

“The rescue of these people’s stories and their music from oblivion is largely thanks to the devotion of family, friends and dedicated scholars, many of whom feature in this film,” noted Jonathan Ford, managing director of Abacus Media Rights. “This is a powerful documentary which will resonate worldwide. We are extremely pleased to be part of it.”