Marmalade and Masquerades
André Caplet: Conte Fantastique (1922) after Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, for harp, narrator and string quartet. Story adapted by Erin Muldoon.
Herbert Chappell: Paddington’s First Concert (mid-1970s), arranged for the same ensemble by Roger Montgomery.
Travel from the familiar warmth of 32, Windsor Gardens, home to London’s favourite bear, into the shadowy world of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. This imaginative programme brings together two contrasting tales, showing how music can express both light and dark, comfort and mystery.
Through engaging live performance with narration, children and families will discover how composers use sound to tell stories. Some feel cosy, playful, and curious. Others are dramatic, eerie and full of suspense. Each invites listeners to picture characters, places and emotions in their own way.
On one side, Paddington Bear’s world is brought to life through music that celebrates kindness, humour and small everyday adventures. On the other hand, André Caplet’s Conte Fantastique draws us into a darker, more mysterious atmosphere, inspired by Poe’s haunting tale of Prince Prospero’s abbey.
Placed side by side, these works reveal how music can spark imagination across very different moods and stories. Together, they offer a rich and memorable introduction to the power of musical storytelling.
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