The Diary Of Anne Frank.
According to Aristotle, pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work, and Bangkok Opera’s powerful performance of The Diary Of Anne Frank, an opera by Russian composer Grigory Frid and performed here last month, is an example of just that.
This particularly intimate, personally subjective and wildly moving performance, with a solo soprano and a chamber ensemble, maintained its unwavering focus throughout. The audience’s attention was never lost.
Frid’s operatic version of the famous diary is a sensitive and dignified work. Its libretto, consisting of 21 excerpts from Anne’s book, virtually makes Anne her own librettist. The music is at times menacing, with punch and spikes, and Shostakovich-like ostinatos, befitting the political nuances, and reflects the character’s anxiety and wistfulness. Our local musicians were superb.
It is often difficult for an adult to play a teenager, but the versatile and charming Kaleigh Rae Gamaché pulled it off with aplomb, captivating the audience with her fine voice and mesmerising mannerisms. The youthful naiveté of the character, as well as her dreams and aspirations, are clearly portrayed. Anne Frank, somewhere up in the ethers, would be proud.
The simplicity and subtlety of Somtow Sucharitkul’s brilliant direction, measured and reflective, absolutely seduces the audience. Everyone was completely spellbound. The final scene in particular is testimony to the director’s keen sense of drama, impeccable taste and flawless execution. We do not see the hideaways being dragged off to concentration camps — the understated but astute direction tugs at the heartstrings much more than any such scene could. And yes, it gives us a glimmer of hope.
This important performance does much to bring awareness of history to the local audience, not only of the Holocaust, but by extension also shines a spotlight on the plight of millions of people around the world persecuted throughout history, for their beliefs, ethnicity, gender identity, political views or some accident of birth. The arts and artists are often instrumental in calling out the hopes and failures of national politics, holding the polity to account, and these thought-provoking works have a clear and timeless relevance.
In her famous diary, Anne Frank wrote that she wanted to continue living after she died. Her spirit is certainly alive in Bangkok. She is reborn and has found a home in the hearts of those who witnessed the three performances.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.