Re: Grigori Frid's "The Diary of Anne Frank"

[George Robinson <grcomm...>]

The downside to being a fulltime working journalist is that I have to
move to the next story immediately. It will take me a few hours to
answer this in any detail because I need to excavate the enormous
mountain of crap in my office and find the libretto and my notes. I will
say this, however; Nancy Rhodes's staging doesn't neglect Anne's
Jewishness -- the final image of the magen david projected on the back
wall is pretty strong. I also vaguely recall a hanukiyah on the set, but
that may be my memory playing tricks on me.

Actually, I just found the libretto and although for the most part Bob
is right, there is this passage:

    "And now all I can do is pray: 'Adonai eloheinu, make our way open
our path
    to freedom!'"

That's more Jewishness than you get in the Goodrich-Hackett version.

Musically, the piece is very good modernist art music. I can't recall
any specific musical references to Jewish themes -- I would have to see
it again to be certain.

GRR



Bob Wiener wrote:

> I just read George Robinson's long review in The Jewish Week (1/18/02)
> of a production of Grigori Frid's (spelled Fried on the CD) opera "The
> Diary of Anne Frank" in NYC. The work and the performance receive a
> rave.  What I miss is any comment on whether the music or libretto in
> any way reflects Anne Frank's Jewishness.  I believe that the answer
> is no.  In other words, from the libretto I just read, there is not a
> single reference to Anne Frank's Jewishness.  In other words, one
> could listen to the entire opera and not be able to tell from the
> lyrics that Anne Frank was Jewish. Apparently there are indications in
> the set of this production at the very end.  And I haven't heard the
> music -- but George doesn't mention any Jewish music themes.  It seems
> that this is a work that "universalizes" Anne Frank at the expense of
> identifying her particularity as a Jew. Perhaps this is a reflection
> of the fact that the opera is, according to George, based on a
> publication of the diary in the Soviet Union in 1969.  Perhaps that
> version edited out the Jewish sections.  (Note that it is probably not
> a matter of length -- this is a short opera and the libretto makes
> room for an entire section on Soviet military victories. The issue of
> the elimination of Anne Frank's Jewish identification has deservedly
> received substantial attention in plays and film.  I believe that it
> deserves comment in reviews of musical works as well.  Especially when
> published in a Jewish periodical and described as "the best
> dramatization" of "The Diary of Anne Frank". I ask for a response from
> George or any other list member who has seen this production. Shavuah
> Tov,Bob

--
The world is new each morning--
that is God's gift, and a man should
believe he is reborn each day.
                  -The Baal Shem Tov