New London Chamber Ensemble

A programme full of animal fun, unwrapping and exploring music of the last 150 years.

Berio Opus Number Zoo for speaker and wind quintet (1951/1970)
Prokofiev Peter and The Wolf, Op. 67 for speaker and chamber ensemble
Saint-Saëns (arr. Bussick) Carnival of the Animals
Martin Butler Dirty Beasts
(based on Roald Dahl’s poems)

Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals brings to life tortoises, elephants, kangaroos and the elegant swan whilst Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf follows with the story of a lonely boy as he outwits a hungry fox with the help of some animal friends.

There are more misbehaving animals in Berio’s Opus Number Zoo, where the musicians are also actors transforming into fighting tomcats, a grumbling grey mouse and a silly chicken. To round off the afternoon is a wonderfully witty composition by Martin Butler based on Roald Dahl’s collection of poems Dirty Beasts.

Part of Chamber Classics Unwrapped.