The
flautist and concert presenter Atarah Ben-Tovim
has been a feature of the musical scene in
London for almost 30 years now, and her original
aim ‘to inspire children to make music themselves
and not just become passive consumers of the
pop industry’s products’ is as worthwhile
now as it ever was. Little Rollo and Maisie
(and yes, Sam and Amy too) in their classy
Princess n’ Giant outfits, recorders and tambourines
clutched in their hot little hands, are the
paying public of tomorrow, the ones upon whom
artists and promoters will depend for their
living, and events such as this which encourage
them to enjoy ‘real’ music as participants
as well as audience members are one of the
best ways I can think of to maintain the spirit
of music as a live art.
Since
there were no notes provided (although a quiz
sheet with snippets of the music was given
out, and much enjoyed by my 11 and 5 year
olds) there was no information on ‘The National
Symphony,’ (presumably of London?) but it
was an impressive band nonetheless – granted,
the music wasn’t exactly demanding, but to
say the players gave their all would be an
understatement, and for me the most valuable
part of the evening was the brief introductions
to the main pieces, during which Ben-Tovim
highlighted various instruments which were
then played with some gusto.
The
programme was very cleverly planned: beginning
with Jeremiah Clarke’s rousing ‘Trumpet Voluntary’
(complete with tambourine contributions from
the children) then interspersing the main
works with ‘Colonel Bogey’ and finally the
signature ‘William Tell Overture,’ (a veritable
cacophony of youthful blowing and banging
) the two animated films based on Oscar Wilde
stories, accompanied by a new score from Debbie
Wiseman, were thus calm oases during which
the concentration of the vast majority of
the children was a marvel to behold.
Debbie
Wiseman is well known to those who appreciate
film soundtracks and TV theme music: she has
won many prestigious awards, and rightly so,
for her style is not lacking in individuality
considering the constraints of the genre.
She favours a soft focus approach to harmonic
structure, a fluent shaping of melody and
a somewhat Romantic concept of programme music
in which strength is signalled by loud brass
instruments and sweetness by flutes and harps
– but since that’s what Beethoven, amongst
others, often employed it’s not to be too
readily sniped at. Wilde’s stories are of
course wonderful – ‘The Nightingale and the
Rose’ concerning itself with the capricious
nature of love and the utter selflessness
of the idealist whose lifeblood is spent in
the creation of the one perfect bloom, only
to see it rejected, and ‘The Selfish Giant’
with the nature of isolation and altruism,
with a sentimental twist at the end. The animated
films are quite startlingly beautiful, with
jewel-bright colours inspired by Eastern designs,
and superbly evocative scenery: many moments
stood out, but especially remarkable was the
one when the nightingale’s heart is finally
pierced by the thorn, evoking gasps from many
of the younger members of the audience.
The
narratives were neatly framed by introductions
in which a crotchety uncle tells tales to
an initially unwilling niece – Pete Postlethwaite
predictably superb as the uncle – and from
the first moment, the children were hooked.
Wiseman’s music drew out all the pathos of
the stories, and the orchestra, conducted
by the composer, played it with love and commitment,
if a little too much volume at times. Anyone
who fears that all 5 to 12 year olds have
had their powers of concentration shot to
pieces by a constant diet of ‘The Simpsons’
should have seen the rapt expressions on many
of the little faces present during these works.
For those who could not be at the Barbican,
the films, complete with music, will be shown
on Channel 4 on Boxing Day at 2.50 p.m.
Melanie Eskenazi
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