From the Diary of Anne Frank
Moved by memories of fearsome events of the War, but moved more by the particular grief of a fourteen year old girl over the fate of a school friend who had been taken away to a Nazi concentration camp, and the fervent prayers evoked for her friend's safety, Dr. Oskar Morawetz was inspired to compose his From the Diary of Anne Frank.
Reluctant, at first, to read the Diary, - fearful of the recollections of tragedies befallen many beloved friends back in Czechoslovakia, - Morawetz finally succumbed to the inexplicable, nagging magnetism to read the book that he had for ten years, almost pointedly, avoided reading. Identifying readily with the young girl's quest for an explanation to justify her fate, Dr. Morawetz found this tragic plight an inspiration for his composition.
The 19-minute work for soprano and orchestra conveys a sombre, dissonant despair, heightened by the compositions stark vocal line, and intensified by the powerful orchestral writing. Despite the pathos of the impassioned subject, the work ends on a note of hope.
Once Morawetz decided to write the composition based on the Diary, he found his involvement with the Anne Frank legend ever-increasing, till he, himself, has become a part of it!
While preparing himself for his tragi-task, he read and re-read the book. To recapture its simple poignancy, he soon realized that his composition must contain the exact text from the Diary. Through the publisher's intervention, permission was granted by Anne's father, now living in Switzerland. Otto Frank wrote, "You are the first one who has been struck by the feelings Anne expresses about her friend Lies and the suffering of so many Jews." He passed on the news, too, that Lies Goossens, in fact, survived, and now lives in Jerusalem with her husband and three children. In addition, Anne's father
informed Morawetz that his former business associate, Victor Kugler, indeed, the
very man who had sheltered the Frank family during World War II,), was living in Toronto! "Mr. Kraler", - (really, Victor Kugler) - provided Dr. Morawetz with added insights into Anne's character, and the circumstances under which the family remained in
hiding in Holland.
In May, 1970, twenty-five years after Anne Frank's death, Victor Kugler and a profoundly moved audience listened to the premiere performance From the
Diary of Anne Frank, with Lois Marshall
as soloist with the Toronto Symphony. To mark the occasion, Otto Frank sent Dr. Morawetz "a small silver dish. It is one of the few possessions, which have been spared from our former household. I received it as a wedding gift in 1925 and I thought you would enjoy having it." The generous gesture overwhelmed Morawetz, who in turn forwarded a complete score of the work, and a
CBC tape of the premiere to Frank, in Switzerland.
This April, the Toronto Symphony, under Ancerl, will perform the work inspired by the writings of the sensitive, young Anne Frank. Lois Marshall again will be heard as the soloist in performances at Massey Hall on the 11-12th: at Carnegie Hall in New York on 14th: and at J. F. Kennedy Center in Washington on the 15th.
