The Strangest of Angels

New Zealand sopranos Jayne Tankersley and Anna Leese feature alongside the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kenneth Young for this interpretation of the chamber opera inspired by events in the life of NZ writer Janet Frame.

"Janet Frame is one of New Zealand’s most celebrated writers. Born in 1924, she went to university and trained as a teacher, but began to suffer depression. Following her admission to a psychiatric hospital in 1945 she was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia.

"In The Strangest of Angels, soprano Anna Leese sings the role of fictional nurse Katherine Baillie, who takes up a position at Seacliff Mental Hospital in rural New Zealand in 1952. To Katherine's surprise, she discovers her old classmate Janet Frame is now her patient, diagnosed with schizophrenia. In the weeks before Janet's scheduled lobotomy, Katherine is torn between duty and empathy. Her inner demons, carefully concealed behind a starched uniform, threaten her own sanity." (New Zealand International Film Festival)

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