THE CHILDREN OF THE DEAD CITY is based on a true story. It tells of the fate of the children imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The plot is based on historical facts that occurred when an international delegation visited the ghetto to assure themselves that "the residents were doing well." The SS staged a perfect illusion over months of preparation. In addition to building coffee houses with lavishly set tables, erecting a music pavilion, and many other productions, the children were forced to perform a children's opera. Shortly thereafter, almost all the prisoners who participated in the performance, as well as the film crew that recorded it for a propaganda film, were murdered in Auschwitz. This work is dedicated to all of them.
Background:
The project aims, in addition to producing an album and audio play, to inspire students and teachers to engage with this topic in the classroom.
In addition to the audio production itself, a wealth of historical and didactic material is being produced and made available to enable school projects and performances.
The special feature of the audio play version is that it naturally focuses on the through-composed form – but is complemented by sound effects and additional narration that make the plot more vivid. Musically, the drama is a mix of complex orchestral numbers, rock songs, choirs, folklore pieces, and scenic ensemble works. It may be the first time that an audio play relies so heavily on music. The listener is completely immersed in the dramatic action and can hardly escape the events. The simultaneously released album version, on the other hand, focuses more puristically on the 34 songs, ensemble pieces, and recitatives that also vividly tell the story as a whole. The audio play and album are available on well-known digital download platforms, and the audio play is also available physically as a double CD in stores.
Iris Berben, Michael Schulte, and Peter Heppner in the leading roles of THE CHILDREN OF THE DEAD CITY – Musical Drama Against Forgetting. Complete recording (album) of the audio production, a project by the Freundeskreis Mateh Yehuda, Nümbrecht, funded by the "Promoting Tolerance" Foundation of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ), supported by the Terezin Memorial.
Background:
The project aims, in addition to producing an album and audio play, to inspire students and teachers to engage with this topic in the classroom.
In addition to the audio production itself, a wealth of historical and didactic material is being produced and made available to enable school projects and performances.
The special feature of the audio play version is that it naturally focuses on the through-composed form – but is complemented by sound effects and additional narration that make the plot more vivid. Musically, the drama is a mix of complex orchestral numbers, rock songs, choirs, folklore pieces, and scenic ensemble works. It may be the first time that an audio play relies so heavily on music. The listener is completely immersed in the dramatic action and can hardly escape the events. The simultaneously released album version, on the other hand, focuses more puristically on the 34 songs, ensemble pieces, and recitatives that also vividly tell the story as a whole. The audio play and album are available on well-known digital download platforms, and the audio play is also available physically as a double CD in stores.
Iris Berben, Michael Schulte, and Peter Heppner in the leading roles of THE CHILDREN OF THE DEAD CITY – Musical Drama Against Forgetting. Complete recording (album) of the audio production, a project by the Freundeskreis Mateh Yehuda, Nümbrecht, funded by the "Promoting Tolerance" Foundation of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ), supported by the Terezin Memorial.
