Selected Production History
Summary
Brundibár was written by Hans Krása and Adolf Hoffmeister as an entry to a government competition, the results of which were never announced because of Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939. There is conflicting information about when, where, and who completed the first production of the opera, with some sources saying it took place at the 50th birthday celebration of the director of the Prague’s Jewish orphanage, Moritz or Otto Freudenfeld, and others saying the idea to produce it was conceived at the celebration, with the planned production never taking place and instead happening at a different orphanage after Hans Krása and the original cast had been shipped to Terezín.
Regardless of the exact location of the original performance, the fact remains that the piece did not originate within Terezín, as is commonly claimed. After the premiere, however, as more transports took artists to Terezín, eventually Novak smuggled in a piano score with him, believing he might find Krása again. He was correct, and when he delivered the score to Krása, the composer set to work on re-arranging it for the small number of musicians he was able to utilize at Terezín.
The work was performed 55 times at Terezín with a fairly consistent cast, though surviving cast members do not agree on whether the cast was wholly consistent or if there were a few characters who traded out. Famously, the opera was performed during the International Red Cross visit, and was filmed later by Kurt Gerron for The Fuhrer’s Gift of the Town, a short propaganda film showing the supposedly pleasant lives Jews lived at Terezín.
After liberation, if there were any performances of the opera, records were lost. In 1975 in West Hartford, CT, Joža Karas revived the opera in its original Czech. Two years later, Joža Karas and his then wife, Milada, translated the opera to English and brought it to Canada where they resided. In 2003, Tony Kushner adapted the libretto, and Maurice Sendak would get involved as a designer and director at the Chicago Opera Theater. Past this, there were several successful revivals of the opera with consultation from survivors such as Jaroslav Rind, who assisted the original designer in set construction. In 2006, the University of Texas at San Antonio was the first company to bring the opera back to Terezín, where they performed in English with adults playing all roles.
Due to the delicate nature of the opera’s history, there is not much criticism of its performances. There seems to be a general hesitation to critique anything about the opera’s productions or material in fear of offending or belittling its historic weight. Thus is the common barrier placed around historically significant artworks. I have linked some reviews of more recent productions below, though they must be taken with a grain of salt because of the lack of negative criticism. The only review of the Terezin performances is by Dr. Kurt Singer, who wrote:
Brundibár shows how a short opera of today should look and sound, how it can unite the highest in artistic taste with originality of concept, and modern character with viable tunes. We have here a theme which has appeal for children and grown-ups alike, a moral plot motif recalling the old fairy tales, popular singing kept simple in choral sections but occasionally becoming quite complex in duets and trios, and a sensitive balance of dynamics maintained between a dozen instruments and three dozen singers. We have also a Czech national coloration, music-making without recourse to modern experimentation (at which Krása is a master), a clever balance of scenic effects between the orchestra pit and the stage, an orchestra used with taste and economy and a singing line which is never obscured or smothered by the instruments … In this little opera, born of a serious mind and yet so pleasant to the ear, idea and form, thought and preparation, concept and execution are joined in a fruitful marriage of mutual collaboration: Whether it be cast in a large or small form, whether it be song or symphony, chorus or opera, there can be no higher praise for a work of art.
