Storybook Music (works inspired by children’s books)
We recommend pairing one or more of the following works curated from Wise Music Classical’s music rental catalogue with The Snowman in Concert or Mimi and the Mountain Dragon in Concert, to create a full-evening program.
Longer Works (15 minutes or longer)
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
Duration: 40 min
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)
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (suite from music to the film)
Description: Suite from the 1976 live action film inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s short story about a young mongoose adopted by a human family. “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” was originally published as part of The Jungle Book anthology.
Composer: Alfred Schnittke
Duration: 35 min
Orchestration: 3(pic).3(ca).4(Ebcl,bcl).3(cbn)/4441/timp.perc/gtr.egtr.bgtr.hp.cel.pf.eorg.org/str
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
Shorter Works (14 minutes and under)
Description: A medley of themes from the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, based on the children’s novel by L. Frank Baum. The suite includes excerpts from the songs “Over the Rainbow,” “If I Only Had a Brain,” “Jitterbug,” “Merry Old Land of Oz,” “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” and “Miss Gulch.”
Composers: Harold Arlen, Edgar Yipsel Harburg and Herbert Stothart
Arranger: Jeff Tyzik
Duration: 11 min
Orchestration:2+pic.22+bcl.2/4331/timp.3perc/hp.pf/str
Description: Inspired by the British fairytale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Composer: Eric Coates
Duration: 10 min
Orchestration: 2(II:pic).1.2.1.asx.tsx/2.2.3.0/timp.3perc/hp/str
Description: “A tone poem based on a passage from one of Hans Christian Andersen’s lesser known fairytales, “The Wind Tells About Waldemar Daae and His Daughters,” a mighty allegory about the transitoriness of Life, about Vanity and Pride and the inevitable victory of Death.” – Composer’s Note
Composer: Poul Ruders
Duration: 9 min
Orchestration: 3.3.3.3/4.3.3.1/3perc/str
Remembering Gatsby (Foxtrot for orchestra)
Description: Before writing his 1999 opera, The Great Gatsby, Harbison wrote this piece from sketches inspired by Fitzgerald’s novel.
Composer: John Harbison
Duration: 7 min
Orchestration: 3(pic).3(ca).3(bcl,ssx).2+cbn/4.3.3.1/timp.perc.trap set/pf/str
Tom Sawyer Overture (California Overture)
Description: An up-tempo romp through a few adventures with Mark Twain’s Tom— Antheil exploits the orchestra’s full forces to deliver a power-packed portrayal of a favorite childhood character.
Composer: George Antheil
Duration: 7 min
Orchestration: 2+pic.2+ca.2+bcl.2+cbn/4331/timp.3perc/pf/str
Jabberwocky (from Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found)
Description: A seven section work setting text from Lewis Carroll’s 1871 sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Composer: Paul Campbell
Duration: 5.5 min
Narration Languages: English
Symphonic Version: Narrator + 2(pic).2.1+bcl.2(cbn)/4.2.3.1/timp.3perc/str
Chamber Version: Narrator + 1(pic).1.0+bcl.1(cbn)/1.1.1.1/timp(perc).perc/str
