Restaging Brundibár: an Exercise in Resistance and an Antidote to Intolerance

um exercício de resistência e um antídoto para a intolerância

Résumé

In 2007 I had the chance to direct Brundibár ,a children’s opera by the Czech composer  Hans  Krása,  as  part  of  a  project  carried  out  at  the  Juiz  de  Fora  Military College (CMJF) in Brazil. At face value, it seems trivial: one more school music project. However, the context within which the opera acquired renown –that of the Holocaust –broadens the project’s reach. This context produced profound reflections on the links between ethics and aesthetics, particularly when it came to remember –with children – traumatic events that themselves involved so many youngsters. This article reports on that experience.