#31 Young People’s Series — Part 3 (Click for Part 1, or Part 2)
Tell Me a Story
Three Russian Fairy Tales
The Firebird • Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess • The Snow Queen
DE 6010 • A three-disc gift set
A three-disc set presenting “some of the world’s best and most accessible music together with stories that inform while they entertain. …Stories of young people who are kind and brave, who make the most of their individuality, and who persist in the face of difficulties in order to reach goals larger than themselves.
“Fortunate is the child who has access to a storyteller, enabling that young person to create his own worlds far beyond the limits of a cinematographer’s camera. We hope that this series will help to stimulate a lifetime participation in the world beyond the everyday — the world to be found in literature and the arts.”—Amelia S. Haygood, Delos founder
“The appeal extends far beyond the chronological limits of ‘young people’, for these delightful releases contain treasures which will appeal to the ‘young person’ in each of us.”—Platter Chatter
See descriptions of the “Three Russian Fairy Tales” CDs below. Each CD is also available separately, with its own catalog number.
The Firebird
Russian Fairy Tale
Narrated by Natalia Makarova
Music of Igor Stravinsky (complete ballet)
Gerard Schwarz, conductor • Seattle Symphony
Story adapted by Carol Rosenberger
DE 6005 (single CD catalog number)
Samples from four tracks: Prince Ivan Captures the Firebird • The Magic Feather and the Firebird’s Promise • The Firebird’s Spell • The infernal dance of Kashchei’s enchanted subjects
“‘A long time ago, there lived a brave young prince named Ivan (Ivan Tsarevich in Russian). One day, Prince Ivan had an adventure which changed his life, and the lives of any others as well.’ So begins the story of The Firebird as narrated by the veteran prima ballerina Natalia Makarova… Makarova’s readings… are a joy unto themselves.”—Gramophone
“Notable Children’s Recording • Natalia Makarova, one of the (20th) century’s greatest ballerinas, shows a flair for exotic storytelling in her enchanting narration of the Russian fairy tale over the Stravinsky score… Makarova’s lyrical telling of the Russian fairy tale—adapted here by Carol Rosenberger — is a dance of words, bringing to life young Prince Ivan, Princess Vasilisa, the magical Firebird and evil Kaschei.”—Los Angeles Times
“in a voice of childish wonder, the Russian ballerina, Natalia Makarova, tells the story of ‘The Firebird,’ recounting it like a verbal ballet over Stravinsky’s music…”—The New York Times
Kudos from the American Library Association… a “Notable Children’s Recording”
“Once upon a time, an old Russian tale of a bold prince, enchanted princess, demons, spells, and a fabulous bird was transformed into a ballet. Now former ballerina Natalia Makarova recaptures the story’s narrative origins in a fiery narration well matched to Igor Stravinsky’s original ballet score… lends an appealingly and appropriately exotic flavor to this colorful folktale.”—Booklist
“… a Firebird recording so extraordinary it not only made the piece sound fresh, but convinced me that my childhood was deprived and my musical education bankrupt. ‘The Firebird: Russian Fairy Tale’ is marketed as a children’s CD, but the charm and power of this narrated version of the complete ballet should win over all but the most hardened adult hearts.
“Before retiring from the ballet stage, the Russian-American ballerina Natalia Makarova danced the role of the Firebird numerous times. In this recording, she returns to the Firebird as narrator and delivers a stunning dramatic performance. Makarova gives the characters of the fairy tale uncanny depth; her narration of Prince Ivan’s encounters with the Firebird and with Princess Vasilisa is charged with pathos, innocence and eroticism. Makarova reads with a passion that I, for one, do not recognize from the fairy tales of my youth.
“Makarova is clearly the star of this recording. But it is the adept combination of text and music that accounts for this disc’s magic. The narration provides one revelation after another about Stravinsky’s accomplishment, which was not only to musically portray human feelings such as wonder, dread, triumph and erotic longing, but to paint light with sound. The Firebird, this performance reveals or reminds, is a miracle of synaesthetic composition, portraying through the ear what is seen with the eye. Add to music and poetry Makarova’s dramatic performance, and the overall effect can be overwhelming: the moment at which not only the music and the poetic image but Makarova’s voice become ‘brighter and brighter’ is as aesthetically rich as any moment in ballet or opera.”—Salon•Sharps & Flats
“…such a good idea, you wonder why nobody thought of it before. To the beautifully detailed and sensitively interpreted score… a story has been added. It was adapted from the Russian fairy tale by Carol Rosenberger and, in an inspired move, prima ballerina Natalia Makarova is the narrator!
“Makarova’s timing, drawn from long experience dancing the title role, is superb. Her narration complements the music beautifully. Her pronounced Russian accent is here, richly flavoring the story of how Prince Ivan won the hand of Princess Vasilisa by overcoming the hellish power of her captor, the wizard Kaschei, with the help of the Firebird, a supernatural creature (‘Where others bathe in water, I bathe in fire!’ Makarova’s portrayal of the sinister Kaschei is a delight you won’t want to miss!” —Phil Muse, Creative Loafing
And now, to introduce “Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess” and “Th
e Snow Queen,” we’re going to reprint a substantial quote from a Stereophile review:
“Sonics first: in each case, Delos has recorded the narration in the same hall as the music, and with matching mike distances… these are flawless, seamless productions. But then, with John Eargle as engineer, that’s about what you’d expect.
“These were ballerina Natalia Makarova’s very first sessions as a storyteller, though she’s acted on Broadway and narrated for the BBC. But what Makarova lacks in mike experience she more than makes up for in sheer heart and commitment; she seems determined to make true every cliché you’ve ever heard about those immense, passionate Russian souls. It’s all here, with an audibly palpable smile and a voice rich, deep, knowing, and wise… Makarova herself sounds like the real thing, a genuine Russian grandmother (she speaks of her own grandmother here) overheard in some snug hut in Finmark while the winter winds howl outside; she’s a natural. I was absolutely, totally charmed; in fact, the first time I listened to these discs I didn’t even hear the stories, so filled was I with the richness and musicality of Makarova’s voice, her Leningrad accent as thick as caviar, as heavy and warm as a bearskin coat. I could listen to her recite Korean rack-system instructions by the hour.
“Tchaikovsky’s effortlessly melodic Album for the Young fits The Snow Queen, Hans Christian Andersen’s archetypal children’s version of possession by the demon lover, as if composed especially for it. This dovetailing is due in no small part to Carol Rosenberger’s deft, limpid, carefully nuanced playing on both this and Prokofiev’s Music for Children, which accompanies Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess,ˆ… In both cases, the Russian composers wrote music perfectly accessible to children, both as listeners and players, without the slightest condescension. The Prokofiev is delightful, long on wit and short on his usual acerbity; always simple, melodic, and to the point.
“Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess, Russia’s gender-turnaround of the classic Frog Prince tale, has a finger-wagging moral: don’t judge by appearances. Like The Snow Queen, it is richly picaresque, hardly the streamlined, minimalist high-concept junk with two-digit vocabularies that nowadays fills the ‘KidLit’ marketing niche. And Delos has done the buyer a favor: if, inconceivably, you don’t like Makarova’s readings, you can read your children the stories yourself— their complete texts are printed in the illustrated booklets.”— Stereophile
Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess
Russian Fairy Tale
Narrated by Natalia Makarova
Prokofiev: Music for Children, Op. 65
Played by Carol Rosenberger, piano
DE 6003 (single CD catalog number)
Track 1: The Story (with music) • Tracks 2-16: Music Reprise
Samples from the story: The Story (Sample 1) • The Story (Sample 2) • The Story (Sample 3)
This charming fairy tale romance unfolds in the mellifluous tones of Natalia Makarova’s richly accented English, to the accompaniment of Prokofiev’s ‘Music for Children, Op. 65.’ As in the Snow Queen, below, the full piano score follows the narration. Makarova tells the enchanting story with true Russian flavor, including a few Russian words and phrases. As she says in her introduction, this is a story which “tells you not to judge people by how they look. The most important thing is how beautiful you are on the inside – how kind you are, and intelligent…”
“What a happy, happy surprise! [Makarova’s] telling of Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess transformed me in seconds into a child I once was… Natasha’s Russian accent is charm and-a-half, her glee is heart-awakening, and her pure belief in the world of which she speaks is enchantment itself. … Go get it and enjoy.”—Arts Beat, Ontario
American Library Association “Notable Children’s Recording”
“This charming fairy tale romance unfolds in the mellifluous tones of Natalia Makarova’s richly accented English, to the accompaniment of Prokofiev’s ‘Music for Children, Op. 65.’ As in her Snow Queen, below, the full piano score follows the narration.”
“At the beginning of this enchanting disc that sets a Russian legend to piano music of Prokofiev, the legendary Natalia Makarova tells her listeners: ‘I am a ballerina, not a storyteller.’ Long before the end of the disc, however, Makarova has demonstrated she is indeed a storyteller, as you find yourself absorbed in her version of a tale that has a frog princess trying to escape an evil spell. You will love the story, and you will luff Makarova’s verrry Rrrrrrusssian accent…
“The charming and detailed story starts with the czar’s three sons, who are ordered to find brides by shooting arrows into the air and finding where they land. The first two sons’ arrows land right next to well-dowered brides of high rank; the third one lands right next to the frrroke (frog), much to the dismay of Czarevich Ivan (who soon, however, discovers his good fortune).
Pianist Carol Rosenberger plays a piano background score composed of Prokofiev’s music written for young people; the music is cunningly placed in the score to enhance the various moods of joy, despair, menace and trickery.
This release and a companion one, ‘The Snow Queen’ (with Rosenberger playing piano music of Tchaikovsky)… are accompanied by booklets giving the complete texts of the stories, and they also include (after the story) a music-only portion, where the score is heard in its entirety — an opportunity for the little dancers and actors at your house to stage their own mini-dramas.”—The Seattle Times
A note you might enjoy from the booklet: “The story doesn’t tell you that Prince Ivan’s friend, the bear, did another very good thing. After he had helped Prince Ivan shake the stone chest out of the oak tree, the bear re-planted the tree. The oak tree continued to grow; and it stood in that same spot for a very long time.”
The Snow Queen
Fairy Tale adapted from Hans Christian Andersen
Narrated by Natalia Makarova
Tchaikovsky: Album for the Young, Op. 39
Played by Carol Rosenberger, piano
DE 6004 (single CD catalog number)
Track 1: The Story (with music) • Tracks 2-18: Music Reprise
Samples from the story: The Story (Sample 1) • The Story (Sample 2) • The Story (Sample 3)
American Library Association “Notable Children’s Recording”
“Prima ballerina Natalia Makarova narrates this adaptation of Andersen’s tale with great drama and intensity. Tchaikovsky’s ‘Album for the Young, Op. 39,’ played by Carol Rosenberger, highlights the action. The complete piano music follows the narration.”
“With a deep, alluring accent, Natalia Makarova recounts Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. Evocations of the Snow Queen’s palace and a reindeer ride are imaginative delights. Music is as much a wonderful part of this recording as the narration. Carol Rosenberger’s playing of music by Tchaikovsky (Album for the Young Op. 39) adds to the Old World charm of the story. Children and adults can listen to this recording together, for this entrancing Snow Queen casts a spell over any age. An excellent addition to school and public library collections.” Booklist, American Library Association
My Keyboard Friends
Piano Music of Richard Rodney Bennett and William Walton
Richard Rodney Bennett, piano and narration • Carol Rosenberger, piano
Bennett: Suite for Skip and Sadie • Partridge Pie • Seven days a Week • A Week of Birthdays • Walton: Duets for Children
DE 6002
Samples: Track 1, Introduction • Track 2, Bennett: Good Morning • Track 10, Bennett: Four Calling Birds • Track 39, Walton: Pony Trap
In his gentle, direct manner, Sir Richard tells a brief story about the music in an “Introduction” before each Suite, and then reminds us of the title of each track just before it begins. We could be listening to the CD with no accompanying notes, and we would know what each charming piece is about. The pieces are all very short; and there are 45 tracks in all!
“This is music for children — some of it intended for them to play, all of it intended for them to listen to and dance to. And unlike most composers aiming at younger audiences, then it never condescends. True, the structures are clear, the rhythms spiffy, the time spans brief. But in spirit, his music circles more or less in the Poulenc orbit. There is consequently a dash of sophisticated irony, a pinch of self-conscious nostalgic elegance that keeps even Suite for Skip and Sadie (Bennett’s two cats) from falling into cuteness. Even when working within the most limited means (Seven Days a Week is written for the white notes only), Bennett’s ingenuity manages to keep the interest up.
“Walton’s four-hand suite makes an attractive coupling… the performances are polished, the sound exceptionally vivid; and while the brief narrations are not separately tracked, they are placed at the end of tracks, rather than the beginning, so it’s easy to hop to the next musical segment. Pictures are provided instead of written notes. My eight-year-old daughter Rachel recommends it, and I concur”—Fanfare
“British composer Bennett performs four original works of music for children — Partridge Pie, Seven Days a Week and A Week of Birthdays for piano and narration — and, with pianist Carol Rosenberger, two pieces for piano duet, his Suite For Skip and Sadie and fellow countryman Sir William Walton’s 1940 set of duets for children. Bennett’s spoken comments have a natural warmth and intelligence that don’t underestimate his audience. These are pieces that will engage the shared interest of parents and children. This is music that no child 10 years hence is likely to recall with embarrassment.”—In Music
The Story of Peter Pan
Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi
DE 6007 – A two-CD set
Samples from: Chapter 1 – Our Story Begins • Chapter 3 – The Flight to Neverland • Chapter 5 – The Mermaid’s Lagoon • Chapter 7 – Peter to the Rescue
Fans of the distinguished British actor Sir Derek Jacobi (I Claudius, Brother Cadfael, Breaking the Code) will be thrilled to discover his enchanting reading of J.M. Barrie’s classic tale. Music from the Delos recording “An Awfully Big Adventure,” DE 3201, introduces the chapters. If you want both full music and full narration, “An Awfully Big Adventure” and “The Story of Peter Pan” together complete the picture of Peter Pan’s world.
This new version of Barrie’s original work, “Peter and Wendy,” was adapted for modern audiences by Jane McCulloch, director of the English Chamber Theatre. The Peter Pan story is more captivating than ever in McCulloch’s version, which carefully preserves Barrie’s original narrative while addressing the needs of modern audiences.
“This unique recording has been adapted and produced by Jane McCulloch. . A new streamlined story of the classic tale is read by none other than Sir Derek Jacobi, who gives each character in the story a distinctive voice and personality – Sidelight: … [Ms. McCulloch] approached Sir Derek because she felt he would read the narrative superbly and she wanted someone who would turn each character into an individual performance. When she asked him if he would be interested in doing the recording, he immediately said, ‘Oh yes, please. You see, I am Peter Pan!’”—Stereo Review
“An evocative reading by noted British film and stage actor Derek Jacobi, an inspired choic
e to bring J.M. Barrie’s magical tale to life — his Hook is a hoot. The classic is adapted by Jane McCulloch from Barrie’s ‘Peter and Wendy’ and includes music by Donald Fraser.”—Los Angeles Times
Shakespeare Stories
For Shakespeare Lovers of All Ages
The stories and plots of 15 favorite Shakespeare plays made easy to follow
Adapted from Lambs’ Tales from Shakespeare by Jane McCulloch
DE 6008 – Boxed Set of four CDs
Narrated by acclaimed London actors
Sir Derek Jacobi and Jane Lapotaire
Prologue • As You Like It • Cymbeline • A Midsummer Night’s Dream • Pericles • Much Ado About Nothing • Hamlet • The Taming of the Shrew • The Winter’s Tale • Romeo and Juliet • Twelfth Night • The Merchant of Venice • Macbeth • King Lear • The Tempest
Lute Interludes performed by Célia Medaglia • Music of Dowland, Holborne and Laurencini
“Have you ever sat down to watch a performance of a Shakespeare play and experienced a terrible sinking feeling? One glance at the programme is enough to send you into a panic. All those characters! All those scenes! How are you ever going to sit through the next three hours?
“Well, you are not alone. Even those of us who work with Shakespeare experience these feelings. The Bard’s plots are so fiendishly complicated! But take courage — help is at hand! The great nineteenth century writer, Charles Lamb, was well aware of this problem and he was worried that people, particularly the young, would be put off seeing the plays, because they couldn’t follow the plot. So he decided, with his sister Mary Lamb, to write out the plays as stories, in order to make the plots easy and simple to follow. But he still managed to incorporate a good deal of Shakespeare’s glorious language. This work proved to be a great success and it quickly became a classic. Although the Lambs wrote these ‘Tales’ with children in mind, their appeal is for Shakespeare lovers of all ages. So sit back and enjoy — as two of our greatest Shakespearean actors, Jane Lapotaire and Derek Jacobi, guide you through the Delos selection of Shakespeare Stories.”—Jane McCulloch
“Enjoy readings by two fine Shakespearian actors in this excellent story collection.”—Reviewer’s Booklist
“”Sir Derek Jacobi and Jane Lapotaire are excellent narrators colouring their voices according to the wonts of Shakespeare’s characters and bringing the stories vividly to life… this is a marvelous production, enhanced by Célia Medaglia’s lute playing of works by Dowland and Holborne between the tales. Full credit should also go to the adapter of the stories, Jane McCulloch. This 4-CD set is a fine introduction or reminder of the Bard’s works for people of all ages. Strongly recommended…”—Film Music on the Web CD Reviews
Click to read Part 1 and Part 2 of the Delos 36-for-36 feature of the Young People Series