Children’s Concert Music for Vocals and Orchestra
We recommend pairing one or more of the following works curated from Wise Music Classical’s music rental catalogue with The Snowman in Concert to create a full-evening program.
Longer Works (15 minutes and longer)
Sigurd Dragedræber (Sigurd the Dragon Slayer)
Description: Sigurd was raised in the forest by Regin the Smith. Regin owns Sigmund’s broken sword – the mightiest sword of all when whole and wielded by the right hand. A raven helps Sigurd understand that Regin is not his real father. The boy challenges him and is victorious; Regin tells Sigurd about his parents, Sigmund and Siglinde and about Fafner, a dragon that guards a hoard of gold. Regin promises to repair the sword for Sigurd to use, but also mixes a poisonous drink – he has no intention of sharing the gold with his foster child. At the gate to Fafner’s stronghold Sigurd enters into the match of his life.
Composer: Andy Pape
Text Writer: Bent Nørgaard
Duration: 50 min
Languages: English, Danish, German
Orchestration: Soprano, Tenor, Bass, Bass Baritone + cl(bcl)/perc/pf/vc
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Description: This opera was written for children to collaborate with professional singers. The opera presents the familiar events of the well-known story; the Queen gets her comeuppance in a happy ending.
Composer: Seymour Barab
Text Writer: Libretto by the composer based on Brothers Grimm fairy tale
Duration: 45 min
Languages: English
Orchestration: 3 Baritones, Mezzo Soprano, Narrator/Speaker, Soprano; Narrator, Children (as dwarfs)+ piano
Sid the Serpent Who Wanted to Sing
Description: Sid, a performing snake in a circus, wants to learn to sing. Accompanied by his circus friends, he travels the world, trying a different style of singing wherever he goes—grand opera in Rome, music-hall in London, rock in New York. He fails every time, until he realizes that if he sings in his own style, he sings very well. He then rejoins the circus as Sid, the Singing Serpent.
Composer: Malcolm Fox
Text Writer: Libretto by the Susan and Jim Vilé
Duration: 45 min
Languages: English, German
Orchestration: 4 singers/actors (Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Tenor, Bass) + piano
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Suite
Description: Suite from Talbot’s full-length ballet of the same name, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel.
Composer: Joby Talbot
Text Writer: Lewis Carroll
Duration: 40 min
Languages: English
Orchestration: 4 female voices + 3(2pic)2(2ca)3(2bcl)2(cbn)/4.2(pictrp).2+btbn.1/5timp/2hp.pf(kbd)+cel(kbd)/str (10.10.8.8.6)
Description: Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s story, “The Phoenix Bird,” Sheng describes how he “was attracted not only to the beautiful and beguiling narrative, but also moved by the profundity and the majestic portrayal of the mystical bird phoenix—the bird of Arabia. [Andersen] had transformed the celebrated bird into the muse of all artistic creation—a bird of epic proportion and majestic inspiration, and the muse of all peoples.”
Composer: Bright Sheng
Duration: 23 min
Orchestration: soprano + 3(2pic,afl).2+ca.3(Ebcl,bcl).2+cbn/4331/timp.4perc/hp/str
Scrooge: Concert Scenes from “A Christmas Carol”
Description: Based on the Charles Dickens classic for the Christmas season, Scrooge offers a delightful tour de force for bass-baritone with a chorus of ghosts and holiday revelers. Rodríguez’s music blends traditional carols and London street cries with mischievous winks at Händel, Verdi, and The Beggar’s Opera. The story is presented in five short scenes, which may be performed individually.
Composer: Robert Xavier Rodríguez
Text Writer: Rodríguez after story by Charles Dickens
Duration: 18 min
Languages: English
Orchestration: Bass Baritone + Chorus + 2(pic).2(ca).2(Ebcl/bcl).2(cbn)/2220/timp.3perc/hp.pf(hpd)/str
Description: The classic Dr. Seuss story of the girl-bird who learns to like herself just as she is, presented in a delightfully lively musical style combining jazz, pop, and classical influences. Teaching self-acceptance and how to overcome petty envies and jealousies, Kapilow’s fanciful score uses a variety of instrumental timbre to evoke the story’s images.
Composer: Rob Kapilow
Text Writer: Dr. Seuss
Duration: 16 min
Languages: English
Full Orchestra Version: Soprano/Girl Soprano + 2(pic).2.2.2/2220/2perc/pf/str
Chamber Orchestra Version: Soprano/Girl Soprano + 2(pic).2.2.2/2220/2perc/pf/str
Shorter Works (14 minutes and under)
Description: A celebratory overture in three sections incorporating a number of American National themes, with the audience invited to join in for excerpts from the “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Composer: Gunther Schuller
Duration: 6 min
Orchestration: SATB & Audience + 3(3pic)2+ca.2+bcl.2+cbn/4331/timp.6perc/cel.hp[+].pf/str(min 12.12.8.8.6) + offstage: 2hn.4tpt.2tbn
