On a rainy afternoon, dull light reflected through the stained glass windows of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Columbia. The pews were filled, but the audience wasn't waiting for the usual Sunday mass to begin.
They were awaiting the presentation of "Annelies," the first choral performance to be adapted from “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Created by James Whitbourn, composer, conductor, producer and presenter for the BBC, "Annelies" is a concert-length work for a soprano soloist, choir and orchestra. Whitbourn also scored a chamber version for violin, cello, clarinet and piano.
The chamber adaptation, which premiered at The Hague, Netherlands for the commemoration of Anne Frank’s 80th birthday in 2009, was performed by Colla Voce, The Avanti Trio, Joseph Eller on clarinet and Ariana Wyatt, soprano, on Sunday, Feb. 22, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church.
Larry Wyatt, a professor from the University of South Carolina’s School of Music, conducted the performance accompanied by his son, Ben Wyatt, on cello and his daughter-in-law, Ariana Wyatt, as the soprano soloist. This was the group’s second performance of "Annelies" after having performed three weeks ago in Blacksburg, Virginia.
“It is such a moving piece, and it is a story that needs to be told over and over and over,” Larry Wyatt said. “The conductor should always subvert themselves to the guy that wrote the music. I was trying to bring his story and Anne’s story alive.”
The original purpose for the creation of "Annelies" was to provide memorial music for the commemoration of the Holocaust and encourage educational work on tolerance with young people. It was commissioned in association with the Jewish Music Institute and Millennium Commission for the 60th anniversary of the Holocaust in 2005. The piece is divided into 14 movements that transport the listeners through the different stages of fear, courage and hope that Anne Frank and her family experienced during WWII.
“My father was in WWII, and I’ve always loved reading about the history of that period,” Larry Wyatt said. “I have visited some camps and Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam a number of times.”
The choir’s voice gave renewed life to the young girl's words and memories from her diary written between 1942 and 1944. Movement 13, “The Capture and the Concentration Camp,” was formed from contemporary reports and additions from Psalms and is the only movement not based on Anne’s diary.
“The experience of performing 'Annelies' helped me to feel a strong connection with all depressed people living in our society, not just Jews, and the power of their perseverance,” said Karen Shevenell, soprano choir member of Colla Voce.
The choir used the natural acoustics of the cathedral to enhance their warm and striking vocals which at times lulled the audience into a trance only to quickly break the calm once again. The four instruments, piano, cello, violin and clarinet, were a powerhouse of sound and emotion throughout the performance. Larry Wyatt frequently rested from conducting throughout the presentation to give the chamber musicians the freedom that they are accustomed to.
“It was breathtaking,” said Joan and Garry Marco, members of the Dutch Fork Choral Society. “The movements captured the changes throughout Anne’s life perfectly, and the tonality of the voices, which mimicked the sounds of war and machinery, made you feel like you were there.”
The group does not have any more performances of "Annelies" scheduled, but hopes there will be many more opportunities to share this astonishing work and captivating story with new audiences.
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