Ravel for Kids

The spectators at our annual narrative concerts may be small, but their eyes and ears are always open wide. Hundreds of children are introduced to the wonderful world of classical music in the company of their families and friends. This time, conductor Alain Altinoglu and the musicians of the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra will delve into the tales of Mother Goose: Beauty and the Beast, Tom Thumb and Sleeping Beauty, but also lesser-known stories such as The Fairy Garden and Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas. They inspired French composer Maurice Ravel in 1908 to write ​‘cinq pièces enfantines’ specially for the children of his friends, the Godebski couple. First for piano four hands, some years later in a brilliantly orchestrated version. Put the two side by side, and you will learn a lot about the possibilities and ​‘timbres’ of an orchestra while spending a delightful hour lost in the enchanted forest of symphonic music.