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Brundibár is the name of an opera by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása. The libretto was written by Adolf Hoffmeister.
The opera was written in the concentration camp Theresienstadt in occupied Czechoslovakia, and performed by the children of the camp. A special performance was staged in 1943 for representatives of the Red Cross who came to inspect living conditions in the camp; what the Red Cross did not know at the time was that much of what they saw during their visit was a show, and that one of the reasons the Theresienstadt camp seemed comfortable, was that many of the residents had been deported to Auschwitz in order to reduce crowding during their visit.
Storyline: Aninka and Pepíček are sister and brother. Their mother is sick, and the doctor tells them she needs milk to recover. But they have no money. They decide to sing in the marketplace, to raise the needed money. But the evil organ grinder Brundibár chases them away. However, with the help of a dog, a cat and a lark, and the children of the town, they are able to chase Brundibar away in turn, and sing in the market square.
The opera contains obvious symbolism in the triumph of the helpless and needy children over the tyrannical organ-grinder, but no overt references to the conditions under which it was written and performed.
Krása, the composer, was exterminated in Auschwitz.
In 2003 the opera was adapted into a picture book by Tony Kushner with illustrations by Maurice Sendak. Sendak emphasized the symbolism of the book, by drawing the character of Brundibar with a Hitler-like moustache.
External links
- Summary (http://www.interdisciplinary.neu.edu/terezin/music/brundibar.html) from Northeastern University, Boston
- "Germans perform Holocaust opera" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4212023.stm) from the BBCde:Brundibár