Der kleine Schornsteinfeger

To be small and skinny is no tragedy, unless the same thing happens that happened to eight-year-old Sam: The poor boy was sold by his own father to the evil and brutal master chimney sweep Black Bob who, precisely because Sam was so small and skinny, abused him as a living chimney broom. But one day, during this cruel work Sam gets stuck in the chimney of a home for children and the children living there decide to help the poor boy and to get back at the grownups!

The composer Benjamin Britten and the text poet Eric John Crozier wanted to know how children could be taught the art of the opera and came to the conclusion that it would be best to have one performed themselves. That was how a three-part play called »Let’s Make an Opera!« (»Lasst uns eine Oper machen!« in German) came about which premiered in the English town of Aldeburgh on 14 June 1949. In the first two parts the children hear the story of the poor chimney sweep Sam and decide to make an opera out of it. They start right off with rehearsals. In the third part they finally get to perform the children’s opera »The Little Sweep« (»Der kleine Schornsteinfeger« in German). This third part is to this day considered one of the most popular works of children’s musical theatre and will be staged with verve and enthusiasm by the soloists and the children’s chorus of Gärtnerplatztheater.