Opera Birmingham to perform “The Diary of Anne Frank”

By Lee J. Green

The beloved self-portrait of a young Jewish girl and her unending hope for freedom during the Holocaust will be presented in operatic form as Opera Birmingham brings “The Diary of Anne Frank” to the Alabama School of Fine Arts Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre on April 5 and 6, in its Southeast premiere.

Russian composer Grigory Frid created the opera in 1968, based on the text of Anne Frank’s original diary, written between 1942 and 1944 while hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam. The opera’s music director, Lester Seigel, said he understands the significance of project and the lessons of the Holocaust that must still be taught today.

“The story of Anne Frank is tragic, but within her words there is much humor, beauty and innocence,” said Seigel, who was a music director at Birmingham-Southern College before retiring last May. “The music enhances the story and makes it more dramatic.”

Seigel has also been the organist and choirmaster at Canterbury United Methodist Church since 1989, and in the 1980s and 1990s was music director and organist at Temple Emanu-El.

Soprano Kathleen Farrar Buccleugh. who is from Huntsville, plays Anne Frank, backed by a group of chamber musicians from the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

“It’s called a mono-drama opera,” said Seigel. “We see, hear and feel everything through Anne’s perspective. It’s a tour-de-force and shows the power opera has in telling the story.”

Opera Birmingham Executive Director Lynne Hutton the concert is part of their “Birmingham Speaks – Where Art and Life Intersect” series, featuring performances and community conversations that reflect part of Birmingham’s diverse community.

“We want to highlight communities working together to improve Birmingham,” said Hutton. “Birmingham is home to the state’s largest Jewish community. Jewish leaders joined with black clergy and leaders in the 1950s and 1960s in the fight for racial justice.”

Hutton said they are in discussion with the Alabama Holocaust Education Center, the Levite Jewish Community Center and the Birmingham Jewish Federation to develop a series of conversations about the history and lessons of the Holocaust.

“We want to have some events prior to engage the communities, and we’ll have a talkback following every performance,” she said.

Seigel has directed the music for several other Opera Birmingham productions, including most recently “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart. But he said he has never been more excited to lead the music for a production. “This is a story that is so important to me and my family,” said Seigel. “I’m so lucky that I get to do what I love every day and be a part of something that is so impactful.”