Brundibár

Aninka and Pepicek are determined to care for their ailing mother, to whom the doctor has prescribed milk. But with no money to buy it, they decide to defy the formidable Brundibar, the famed street performer, by singing louder and better than him. Moved by their plight,compassionate animals rally the town's children to help them.

Originally commissioned by the ministry and intended for young school performers, Brundibár premiered covertly due to Nazi Germany's invasion of Czechoslovakia. Hans Krása managed to preserve his opera until he was deported to Terezin, where it was used as a propaganda tool but also became a source of solace for prisoners before their deportation to Auschwitz. As the 20" century progressed, its reputation only grew, establishing it as a classic.

Hope, courage, and solidarity-these are the values at the heart of this enchanting work, which sets the power of art against cruelty. A profound lesson for all times and a remarkable theatrical moment for the Maîtrise Populaire de l'Opéra-Comique, under the direction of Muriel Mayette-Holtz, Jean-Claude Berutti, and Louis Langée.

Children's opero in two acts | Libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister
Covert craction in a Jewish orphanage in Prague in 1942