Historical background
Brundibár received its premiere in German-occupied Prague and was performed in secret by children at a Jewish Orphanage. In August 1942, Hans Krása was deported to Terezín concentration camp, followed by many of the adults and children with whom he had worked. In July 1943, the score of Brundibár was smuggled into camp.
Krása re-orchestrated it and the premiere of the Terezín version took place in the hall of the Magdeburg barracks. Realising the propagandistic potential of this artistic endeavour, the Nazis arranged a special new staging of Brundibár for a propaganda film, and the same production was performed for the inspection of Terezín by the International Red Cross in September 1944. This would be the last of the fifty-five performances in the Terezín ghetto, before the composer Hans Krása, and many of the children and musicians who took part were murdered at Auschwitz.
Page updated 13/02/2022
Please note that this page has been edited in order to clarify in more detail the historical context surrounding the origins of this opera and performances given by Jewish children and musicians at Terezín concentration camp, before many of them were transported to Auschwitz and other death camps and killed during the Holocaust. We would like to apologise for any distress caused by this omission in an earlier version of this page.
Poster for Brundibár at Theresienstadt, April 1944
