For the last two years I have been lucky enough to present children’s concerts with the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra in Hatfield. Maureen Irving of the St Albans Children’s Book Group was the innovative organiser of this opportunity. She had seen me tell stories and illustrate them, and as many of my tales link to pieces of music, she wanted to find a way of bringing the music into the equation. Of course, 80-piece orchestras are not easy to find. But find one she did. The opening concert featured Peter and the Wolf and the Firebird. For the latter score I wrote a narration that fitted around the music. But what really made the concert a bit different was that I illustrated the stories live on stage while I narrated and the orchestra played. The images were projected in real time upon a huge screen behind the orchestra. 
It was a huge gamble, and I was literally terrified. But it worked, and last year we followed it up with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. This was another challenge. I wrote, in verse, an introduction to each of the ten pictures created in music, then recreated them as pictures as the music played. As some of the music was very short, this was tricky (Limoge market had to be painted in 60 seconds!). This year the concert is called “Spooky Tunes” and will feature Danse Macabre, Night on a Bare Mountain, Baba Yaga and The Sorcerer’s apprentice, amongst others. As before, the conductor will be Robin Browning, and I’m really excited to be preparing another concert with him. Helping children find a way into classical music is something I’m passionate about. Most concerts try to draw children in with orchestras playing Star Wars or Dr Who themes. That’s not my way. I want children to hear the real thing: Saint-Saens, Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and co. Now I must go and create narration texts and practise the pictures!!!
Posted in Katie
8 responses to “Spooky Tunes: A children’s classical concert with music, art and stories”
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That must have been brilliant. I so wish I could have seen that! Got any clips of it on youtube?
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Oh I LOVE Baba Yaga!! Vasilisa the Beautiful was one of the earliest folktales my mum ever read to me and Baba Yaga zipping through the air in her mortar and pestle really caught my imagination as well as her house of bones on one chicken leg!!
The Sorceror’s Apprentice reminds me instantly of Fantasia with Mickey Mouse as the apprentice and all those brooms carrying buckets of water.
Night on a Bare Mountain could be a lot of fun tho’. Danse Macabre I love because of all those skellingtons dancing and knocking their bones against each other (crowded dance hall, obviously!) this all sounds great fun.
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Well I don’t know if it was brilliant. But we do always get full houses, so I guess it must be reasonable. It takes weeks of preparation and my nerves take a bashing. Peter and the Wolf was the worst because you are really a soloist in the orchestra and have to come in ON TIME (no ad-libbing!).
No – nothing on YouTube I’m afraid. Too complicated with rights of members of orchestras etc. I’m quite glad though…I’d be mortified to find myself preserved in that way!
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Baba-Yaga is a wonderful tale. I usually use the Vasilisa version (which I included in my book Koshka’s Tales) but I might use a little known variation, Ivanushka and Baba-Yaga for the concert. I’m undecided. It will be hard to forget either The Sorcerer’s Apprentice or Night on a Bare Mountain as they appeared in Fantasia. One of the first films I ever saw and it TERRIFIED me (especially the Rite of Spring with the Tyrannosaurus Rex). We are also including the Swan of Tuonela, with an extraordinary story from the Kalevala. Exciting times, busy times, scary times. But I wouldn’t have it any other way!
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Baba Yaga!
Watch this ogreish witch scar the sky
In her black, iron pot — see her fly!
See her sweep her path clean
As she hides where she’s been.
Baba Yaga, the child-eater’s nigh!(I wrote this limerick years ago, but never had anywhere to put it. I hope you don’t mind me dumping it here, James.)
The concert looks amazing! Scary, but amazing.
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That’s wonderful Thomas! I could have used that last year for Mussorgsky’s version. I wrote all of that in verse, all ten pictures. Nearly finished me off! This year I’m “just” (!!!) telling the stories…
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It is a very nice and good post. Keep up the good work.
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Thanks Kids Music. I’ll certainly try to continue. It’s important to get kids excited about music, and well worth all the hard work!
Events
Peter & the Wolf at Ipswich Book Festival- 3 October 2026
- Ipswich
Peter And The Wolf at Saffron Hall- 4 October 2026
- Saffron Walden
Peter & The Wolf Book Launch at FuzzypegFolk- 9 October 2026
- Bungay
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