In the opening concerts of our 47th season October 19-20, the Chorale performed British composer James Whitbourn’s oratorio Annelies, drawn from the words of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Annelies achieves much of its impact by the interplay of voices and instruments, reflecting Anne’s Jewish and German heritage, as well as the sounds she might have heard while in hiding. We were honored to be joined by Jenny Perez singing Anne’s words from her diary, Stephen Redfield violin, Kasey Cote clarinet, and pianist Debbie Wagner to bring Annelies’ compelling interplay of voices and instruments to our audiences.
Anne’s words of faith, hope, and humanity in the face of horrific challenge remain an inspiration for all humanity: “And yet, when I look at the sky, I feel that everything will change for the better”.
The concerts concluded with Whitbourn’s uplifting All Shall Be Amen and Alleluia based on the words of St. Augustine. Separated by centuries and by different cultural and religious heritages, All shall be Amen and Allelluia echoes the hope and faith of Anne’s words in her diary: "We shall rest and we shall see. We shall see and we shall know. We shall know and we shall love."