An A-list international ensemble led by British saxophonist Benjamin Koppel broaches a timely historic subject: the white buses that carried Nazi concentration camp survivors to safety after enduring unimaginable horror. Given the numerous extreme conflict zones all over the world, be it Sudan, Ukraine or Gaza – the former case notably eclipsed by the latter two in the Western media – the subject matter is tragically topical.

In any case, Koppel has created something akin to an audio diary by interspersing testimonials of the individuals in question with original music, so that each piece, the longest of which is just over three minutes, is almost like a wordless echo of the very powerful words that precede it.

These mini soundtracks are highly effective frames to quite harrowing images of torture and death, and the powerful concision of Koppel and outstanding contributors such as pianist Uri Caine are to be commended.

As for the composing, it is stylistically varied, moving from tender melodic laments to eruptive rhythmic cycles to beguiling yet moving dreamscapes in which Soren Moller’s synths and electronics are prominent. Last but not least, the voices of the survivors themselves have both a fragility and force that speaks of the uplifting, unbreakable nature of the human spirit in deeply soul-destroying circumstances.