Opera

Anne & Zef

opera for sopr., bar., fl, cl, bs, hn, perc, vi1, vi2, vla, vc, cb

with soundeffects on tape or performed acoustically

Available in:

Dutch (original)

Italian

German

English

English w. Cantonese dialogues

French

An opera for 12+

Anne & Zef (Dutch, orig.)

Libretto Ad de Bont

Italian Marco Morgantini

English Jonathan Levi

Deutsch Monique Krüs

French Anne Krus

Commission The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam invited Krüs to compose an opera about Anne Frank in 2014.

She asked Ad de Bont to create a libretto from his successful play Anne en Zef in which he used parts of Anne's diary as a starting point. The opera was created in Dutch and although written with a young audience in mind, it is suited for anyone older than 12.

Premiere April 7, 2015 in de NedPho Koepel, Amsterdam

Intern. premiere March 12, 2017 in Rome (new staging, in Italian)

More performances Beijing, Bielefeld (new staging), Hong Kong (new

staging) Albania, Wiesbaden, The Hague 2022

Story

Zef, a fifteen year-old Albanian boy from our time, was killed because of the Kanun, the blood revenge. In the afterlife he meets Anne Frank and they find out they have a lot in common: a violent death, problems with parents, Anne loved to write, Zef loved to act. Both were robbed of their freedom prior to their premature deaths: Anne in the 'Achterhuis', Zef had to hide in his own home to stay safe. Their curiosity about each other leads to poignant, funny and at times melancholy scenes. Gradually they grow closer to each other.

Key element in the story is the 'unknown diary' of Anne: Ad de Bont created new texts as if Anne had continued to write: 'First on a stone or in the sand, then in the air and finally only in my head'.

Cast and crew at the premiere

Directed by Corina van Eijk / Opera Spanga

Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest | Nederlands Kamerorkest

conducted by David Niemann

Anne Lilian Farahani

Zef Benjamin de Wilde

Set Jolanda Lanslots

Costumes Pieter van Rooij

45’00 | 2015 | Dutch (Original)

Nominated for the Matthijs Vermeulen Prize 2016

Selected for the ISCM World Music Days Beijing 2018

"Heartwarming music of Monique Krüs"

"A deeply moving performance."

"The music is captivating"

"Wie tief trifft das Lied Annes"

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Stadttheater Bielefeld

‘Anne Frank trifft auf Zef Bunga. Das jüdische Mädchen, das sich in einem Amsterdamer Hinterhaus vor den Nationalsozialisten versteckt hielt, und der Junge von heute, der gerade aus Blutrache erschossen wurde. Zwei viel zu früh beendete Leben treffen in einem surrealen Raum aufeinander, befragen sich, finden sich sympathisch, erzählen sich ihre Sehnsüchte, Hoffnungen und was wirklich geschah. Die Kammeroper der niederländischen Komponistin und Sängerin Monique Krüs schöpft gewissermaßen die Kernkompetenz der Gattung Oper aus: Eine fiktive Situation zu schaffen, die für grausame Realität und süße Utopie Raum gibt und beides durch Musik emotional erlebbar macht.’

Anne & Zef has been performed in these cities and more:

REVIEWS

‘The music is accessible and captivating. Intense scenes, such as those told by Anne about Westerbork and Auschwitz, are interspersed with lyrical, colourful music.’ Trouw

'Die Musik trifft sehr direkt und dat Stück reisst einen von Anfang an mit.'

'Krüs' Musik ist kontrastreich und bewegt.' 'Wie tief trifft das Lied Annes.'

Young soprano Lilian Farahani is a convincing Anne, sometimes serious, then jumpy and bold. Benjamin de Wilde is a boyish Zef, (…) a twenty-first century boy, who raps cheerfully and dances sexy for Anne when he wants to comfort her. (…) What gives this opera (…) something light-hearted, is the cautious rapprochement between two doomed young people and find something like love, or at least a certain humanity in each other.” Theaterkrant

MORE REVIEWS

‘Monique Krüs' Klangsprache ist von einer unaufdringlichen Dringlichkeit und schleicht auf leisen Sohlen unter die Haut.'

‘Ad de Bont (…) adapted his text about the eternal connection between freedom, eternity and love into a libretto. With the heartwarming music of Monique Krüs, that (…) results in a deeply moving performance.' NRC

‘Auch dank der feinen Personenregie von Michael F. Britsch glänzen Dorine Mortelmans und Caio Monteiro mit Spielfreude und stimmlicher

Ausdruckskraft. (...) Die Musik von Monique Krüs mit Stilzitaten von Musical über Weill bis Klezmer ist leicht zugänglich, kontrastreich und bewegt. Die