Brundibar

The mother of a small eastern European boy named Pepicek and his younger sister Aninku is sick. The doctor tells the children that their mother needs milk, but they have no money to buy it. In order to earn money the children sing in the town square, but the greedy hurdy-gurdy man, Brundibar, resents the competition and seeks revenge. With the help of three talking animals, 300 school children, and eventually 1000 adults, the terrible Brundibar is run out of town and the children get home safely with milk for their mother.

Taken from a children's opera published in 1938 in Czechoslovakia, with libretto by Adolph Hoffmeister and music by Hans Krasa, the story is rich with historical reference and emotional resonance. In 1942, Krasa (1899-1944) was arrested and sent to Terezin, the walled city north of Prague used by the Nazis as a prison. There, along with other illustrious Jewish musicians, artists, and intellectuals, he tried to make the wretchedness of their circumstances a bit more bearable through his art. With Krasa directing, the children of Terezin performed the opera "Brundibar" fifty-five times. The opera was tremendously successful because of its message of hope and resistance. Sadly, both Krasa and the children of Terezin were eventually deported to Auschwitz where they all perished.