May, 2008 - WXXI

Music of Remembrance:BRUNDIBARIN HONOR OF HOLOCAUSTMEMORIAL DAY, MAY 2, 2008,WXXI presents Hans Krása’s children’s operaBrundibar. Originally written by Czech HansKrása (right) for a competition in Prague sixtyyears ago, the children’s opera would never bejudged, nor would it ever meet its intended audience. An evocativelysymbolic tale of good and evil, the opera tells the story oftwo children desperately in need of milk for their sick mother. Whenthey go to town they discover a bumblebee bully has taken over,forcing the children of the village to bravely stand together againstthe tyrannical bee.Nazi troops invaded the city before the opera competitionended, and Krása, a Jewish man, was forbidden to perform hiswork before a general audience. After performing the opera in aJewish orphanage, he was arrested and sent to the concentrationcamp Terezin, along with thousands of others who had been rippedfrom their homes. Though it was a tragic struggle to maintainenough child performers as they were constantly being dispatchedto Auschwitz, Krása managed to perform his opera 55 times whilein Terezin before his execution at Auschwitz in 1944.MUSIC OF REMEMBRANCE: BRUNDIBAR airs Friday,May 2 at 12 p.m. on Classical 91.5/90.03/HD91.5-1RPO Principal Viola MelissaMatson and Principal Oboe ErikBehr join host Julia Figuerason this month’s Backstage Passto perform and talk about theirwork with the orchestra.MELISSA MATSON has been withthe RPO since 1983 and is equallyknown as a versatile chambermusician and has performed withChamber Music Rochester and theSkaneateles Festival. She is a graduateof the Eastman School of Music,and is now an Associate Professor atEastman.ERIK BEHR was appointed the RPO’sacting principal oboe as of May 1,2007, and on September 1, 2008, heformally will assume the principal oboeposition. Prior to joining the RPO, hewas principal oboe of the HoustonGrand Opera and Houston Ballet.BACKSTAGE PASSairs Friday, May 30 at 1 p.m. on Classical 91.5/90.03/HD91.5-1may2008 CLASSICAL PROGRAMMING 27highlightsLyric Operaof ChicagoRegarded as one of the top threeU.S. opera companies, Chicago’sLyric Opera presents eight operasthis season, as WXXI continues itscommitment to year-round opera.This season’s featured operasare La traviata by Verdi, DoctorAtomic by Adams, The Barber ofSeville by Rossini, Eugene Oneginby Tchaikovsky, Julius Caesar byHandel, La bohème by Puccini, DieFrau ohne Schatten by Strauss, andFalstaff by Verdi.LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGOairs Saturdays at 1:30 p.m.,beginning May 10 on Classical91.5/90.03/HD91.5-1