Banevich S. To the Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

The year of 2005 occurred to be the time, when two dates collided — bicentenary of the story-teller kind and touching inventor Hans Christian Andersen. There may be hardly found any child or grown-up, who never heard either of the Snow Queen, Tumbelina or Ole Lukoye, plunging listeners into miraculous drowsiness. Naked king and mechanicaL nightingale became sumbols from kinder-gartens to parliamental tribunes.

However, there are the spheres, where fairy tale ever exists. Theatre and music imbibed this genre rather naturally. Look, when you watch “History of Kai and Herda” or “Brave Tin Soldier”, Andersen himself seems to hide behind the wings ready to appear on the stage after the final chord. 

The pieces by Sergei Banevich after Andersen's tales, arranged for piano by Leonid Desyatnikov, are so novel, vivacious and close to theatrical thinking as to stir any child's mind. One of their merits is their convenience for performing. Hence they may be ranked among the classics. Sometimes they cast romantic mood, sometimes able to rouse irony, peculiar for contemporary world. Actually all these features are present in them. However, their main feature is lucid fairy fascination and enthrilling imaginative sphere, like in Andersen's tales, indeed.

Contents:

FAIRY TOY BALL. Polonaise (Music text example)
HORSE
LITTLE SOLDIER AND BALLERINA
RAT
SONG OF WINDING NIGHTINGALE. “Tsi-Tsi-Kluk-Kluk”
NIGHTINGALE SONG
WALTZ AT THE BALL
CARRIAGE
NORTHERN POLKA (Music text example)
KAI AND HERDA
ROBBERS’ DANCE
ICY PALACE
CHIMNEY-SWEEP’S DANCE
NORTHERN LIGHTS