The Moon Bear: A Radio Play with Music for Children

The radio play "The Moon Bear" playfully intertwines the story of a bear who wants the moon all to himself with music. It is based on a piece of music theater that was created for the Bavarian State Opera in 2021, based on the classic children's book of the same name. Director Sarah Scherer selected four central characters from the book by Rolf Fänger and Ulrike Möltgen; in the radio play, an owl is added as the narrator. Richard Whilds has woven well-known pieces of classical music into his composition, namely "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" (The Moon Has Risen), the famous aria from Dvořák's "Rusalka", a piece from Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", a piece from Debussy's "Clair de lune", and a choral piece from Orff's opera "Der Mond" (The Moon). Each of the animals – the hare, the badger, the raven, and the woodpecker – is assigned an instrument: double bass, harp, alto flute, and vibraphone.