Anne Frank & Eva Braun
To what extent can a person influence their destiny or is life ultimately just a sum of coincidences?
Greta Production's deeply touching but also brave and funny joint night of two monologue operas juxtaposes Anne Frank and Eva Braun, who lived in the foothills of the war during a fateful period. Their feelings and thoughts presented from opposite perspectives are equally human. The pair of works will have their long-awaited re-premier at the Helsinki Contemporary Opera Festival, where they were performed for the first time on September 2, 2021.
Anne Frank is a monologue opera composed by Grigori Frid in 1968, for which the composer himself wrote the original libretto based on Anne Frank's diary and letters. The work poignantly presents the world of thought of a teenage girl on the threshold of adulthood, her dreams, and hopes for the future. At the same time, the terrifying thought creeps into consciousness that life might be over before it even begins. The work, which impressively deals with the entire range of feelings of a young girl and the moods of the era, is interpreted by the luminous soprano Anni Niemelä.
Eva Braun's unperformed tape is a monologue opera composed by Pasi Lyytikäinen in 2021 to a libretto by Maritza Núñez. The work is surreal, even grotesque, but also a touching description of the aging Eva Braun going through her own life, choices and emotions. What made young Eva Braun fall in love with Adolf Hitler? Does Eva Braun regret the choices she made during her life and her forgotten dreams? The work is performed by soprano Reetta Ristimäki, known as an expressive actress and singer.
Soloists: Anni Niemelä (Anne Frank) & Reetta Ristimäki (Eva Braun)
Actor: Tero Jartti (husband)
A nine-member orchestra:
Violin: Mauri Saarikoski
Cello: Liina-Mari Raivola
Double bass: Aleksi Ruonavaara
Flute & piccolo: Nairi Azezian
Clarinet: Vivian Neff
Trumpet: Tintti Simola
Bassoon: Onska Ojanperä
Piano & celesta: Jussi Littunen
Percussion: Tuomo Lassila
Composition: Grigori Frid (Anne Frank) & Pasi Lyytikäinen (Eva Braun)
Libretto: Grigori Frid (Anne Frank) & Maritza Núñez (Eva Braun)
Conductor: James Kahane
Directed by: Ville Saukkonen
Stage and costume design: Reeta Tuoresmäki
Light and video design: Pietu Pietiäinen
Production: Greta Productions
Homepage: www.gretaproductions.fi
