'Lubin, from Chelm' - Hilarious & Delightful Klezmer-styled Re-telling of 'Lazy Jack' Is Storytelling Gold

Illustrations for Lubin, from Chelm by Alisa Snyder for ESO

Need a smile? Do yourself a favor and listen to - and watch - this wonderful storytelling performance of 'Lubin, from Chelm' (a.k.a. the Eglish folktale 'Lazy Jack', relocated to the Ukrainian shtetl).

The English Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is in the middle of recording and airing a series called The Art of Storytelling and this is the second story of five planned for it. It's also become one of the best things we discovered this month!

We know it doesn't sound like it would grab you unless you're already regularly listening to orchestral programs - there's no pixie dust here to hook you - but believe us when we say this story is SO well presented and did we mention hilarious? These guys know what they're doing, no pixie dust needed. The series is called The ART of Storytelling for good reason.

(Think of an updated and somewhat edgier storytelling of the classic "symphonic fairy tale for children", Prokofiev's 'Peter and the Wolf', but with far fewer musical instrument detours and many more puns!)

Here's what ESO's The Art of Storytelling series is about:

ESO’s ‘Art of Storytelling’ project presents world premiere recordings and broadcasts of five exceptional works for narrator and orchestra. From the cheeky humour of the Brothers’ Grimm to the touching tale of Hans Christian Andersen’s Ugly Duckling, and from the Jewish humour of Lubin from Chelm to the ancient Egyptian tale of The Warrior Violinist, this is classic family entertainment for the modern age at its finest, a powerful synthesis of great literature and great music.

When we clicked on the link to take a half-interested look at this version described as "a Klezmer-styled re-telling of the classic English folk tale, 'Lazy Jack'," we expected to scan the site, maybe listen for thirty seconds, then get back to our to-do list. It took far less than that for the iconic Yiddish storytelling to hook us and we listened, smiled, and giggled more than a few times, for the full seventeen minutes! (Sorry to-do list - another time!) 

The presentation includes the narrator/storyteller, who in this case is Henry Goodman, the ESO playing a soundtrack throughout the story, and delightful little illustrations that, while simple as stand-alones, are wonderful in context.

Here's a trailer to give you a taste, though we must say we think the real opening of the story hooked us much better and wish we could just show you the first couple of minutes to hook you in the same manner we were:

A hilarious re-telling of the traditional English folk tale, Lazy Jack, relocated to the Ukrainian shtetl and brought to life with abundantly witty Yiddish turns of phrase and evocative Klezmer musical stylings by Jewish-American composer David “Yankele” Yang and orchestrated by Kenneth Woods. (ESO)

As we mentioned, Lubin is actually the second story in the series. The first, currently available to view/listen to as well, is 'The Ugly Duckling', and is also wonderfully done, with actor Hugh Bonneville (Paddington, Muppets Most Wanted) as the perfect narrator.

We managed to catch this when it was streaming (for free) on release day and didn't realize it would require being an ESO (English Symphony Orchestra) Digital supporter to view it at a later date, so we apologize for this, but having seen the program we completely believe it to be a most excellent way to spend a £5 monthly donation (yes you can "donate" from the US and other countries, and yes you can cancel anytime). A donation gives you access to all their other digital offerings too, not just The Art of Storytelling, so if you like beautiful music, beautifully conducted and played, it's a great bonus. We've jumped on board the ESO train, at least for the holiday season, so we don't miss any of this magic as well.

The next story in the series is from an Egyptian tale, titled 'The Warrior Violinist'. We're looking forward to it very much!

You can find ESO Digital's The Art of Storytelling series HERE and learn more about Lubin HERE.

Oh - and if you don't know how the tale ends, well, let's just say it will leave with a grin. ;)

Opera: Magical Lilies, A Family Curse & A Half-Winged Prince Take Center Stage in "The Thirteenth Child"- World Premiere July 27

Composer Poul Ruder is probably best known for his well-received, operatic adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, which was called “an outstandingly effective piece of music theater” by Opera News and as “a riveting, kaleidoscopic score” by The New York Times. With four operas with serious subject matter already under his belt, Ruder wanted to produce a more positive, less weighty work of fantasy and the Brother's Grimm fairy tale, The Twelve Brothers (a variant of the better known The Six Swans, also a Grimms tale), hit the spot.

CD cover

“In 2010, I finished what I thought would be my last opera,” said composer Poul Ruders. “But being a composer, I knew that somewhere there was a subject lying in wait for me to put my paws on. For a Dane to do a Hans Christian Andersen story would be too obvious! So I went for The Brothers Grimm instead. 

In reading through their stories, I kept coming back to this one, which I think is emotionally very potent.
“As opposed to The Handmaid’s Tale, which is an opera for grown-ups, I would say that The Thirteenth Child is good for all ages, including children, who I hope will find it kind of scary. If not, I haven’t done my job very well. I think if you can sit through a Harry Potter movie and enjoy it and not have to leave the bedroom light on at night, you’ll love this! (SantaFeOpera - season announcement)

Ahead of the world premiere next week at the Santa Fe Opera, in New Mexico, a CD has been released.

From Santa Fe Opera:

QUOTH THE RAVEN, “NEVERMORE” 

Costume board for The Thirteenth Child opera

Forget about magic beans and bowls of porridge—this fairy tale is a “down-to-the-wire” thriller, inspired by the Brothers Grimm. A paranoid king banishes his twelve sons in favor of Lyra, the thirteenth child. When Princess Lyra learns about her long-lost brothers, she embarks on a quest to find them. Like all the best fairy tales, it has an enchanted forest, riddles, a handsome prince, a horrible mistake, and a nearly impossible feat for Princess Lyra to perform if everything is to be put right. 

Don’t miss it, especially if you want to live happily ever after! 

(Synopsis)Act I, Scene 1
The neighboring kingdoms of Frohagord and Hauven are in crisis. Following a warning by his embittered cousin Drokan, Regent of Hauven, King Hjarne of Frohagord is convinced that his twelve sons are plotting to overthrow him. The twelve princes, oblivious to their father’s paranoia, play in the courtyard. The enraged King threatens his sons, telling his pregnant wife, Queen Gertrude, that she must provide him with a female heir, as “only she shall wear the crown”. Gertrude calms Hjarne and they sing of the Lilies of Frohagord, magical flowers that protect the kingdom. When Benjamin, the youngest prince, innocently plucks a lily from the garden, Hjarne flies into a mad rage and strikes Gertrude. Drokan, observing the encounter, admits his love for Gertrude and feels “the trembling of the earth.” 

The Twelve Brothers - first third of a banner illustration by (Phillis) Ming Hai

Act I, Scene 2
Eighteen years have passed and King Hjarne has died. At Hjarne’s funeral, Frederic, the young heir to the throne of Hauven, and Drokan, and the mourners tell of the mysterious disappearance of the King’s thirteen children and the shadows that haunt the kingdom. Queen Gertrude, now mortally ill, and her daughter, Princess Lyra, enter the Royal Chapel. Gertrude is repelled by the sight of Drokan, while Frederic is drawn to Lyra. Drokan plots to usurp the Kingdom of Frohagord and Frederic dreams of the day when Lyra will be his. 

Act I, Scene 3
Queen Gertrude is on her deathbed, attended by Princess Lyra. Lyra asks her mother why she was sent away from Frohagord when she was young. Gertrude instructs Lyra to open a secret drawer where Lyra finds twelve shirts embroidered with the red Lilies of Frohagord. Gertrude reveals that the shirts belong to Lyra’s twelve missing brothers, who were also sent away, taking Frohagord’s lily bulbs with them. Before dying, Gertrude begs Lyra to find her brothers and heal the family’s wounds. Lyra vows to find the twelve Princes. 

The Twelve Brothers - second third of a banner illustration by (Phillis) Ming Hai

Act II, Scene 1
Lyra wanders through an enchanted forest, coming upon a cottage with twelve lilies in bloom. She encounters Benjamin, whom she learns is the youngest of her brothers. In the distance the older brothers are heard as they return home from a hunt. Benjamin, who fears that his brothers will seek revenge against Lyra, hides her. After his brothers assure him that they will do no harm, Benjamin reveals Lyra, much to the joy of all. Preparing for a celebratory feast, Lyra cuts the red lilies, unintentionally casting a spell that transforms her brothers into ravens. She is devastated by her tragic mistake. 

Act II, Scene 2
Queen Gertrude appears as an apparition and tells Lyra that in order for her brothers to return to human form, she must remain mute for seven years. 

Act II, Scene 3
Almost seven years have passed, and Frederic’s search for Lyra is rewarded. A great wedding celebration is planned by the people of Hauven. Drokan jealously plots to destroy the couple and gain the throne of both kingdoms. Before the wedding is to take place, a violent storm threatens Hauven, sending Frederic and his men away to rescue their countrymen. 

The Twelve Brothers - last third of a banner illustration by (Phillis) Ming Hai

 Act II, Scene 4

In the courtyard of the castle of Hauven, Drokan accosts Lyra and demands that she marry him. When she refuses, he binds her to a bonfire. As Drokan lights it, Frederic and his men return, and the twelve ravens swoop down, forcing Drokan into the fire. Suddenly, the lilies burst into bloom, returning the brothers to human form. In the battle, Benjamin is mortally wounded, his body half human, half raven, as he vanquishes Drokan. Frederic rescues Lyra from the bonfire. As Benjamin is dying, he finds peace, and all sing of the restoration of hope.

You can read about the creation of the opera from a fairly extensive New York Times article HERE, and see how they adjusted the fairy tale story for the opera. While it seems the opera does stick quite close to the source material, there are some updates that creator Poul Ruder felt was needed for the work.

Here's a nice little visual insight from Director, Darko Tresnjak in discussing the set:

Costumes for The Thirteenth Child, showing the "red lily" motif

"What initially struck me about The Thirteenth Child is that every moment in the tight, suspenseful libretto is essential. We are plunged into the dizzying, fearsome story from the opening measure. What follows are seven swift scenes, each one set in a new location, each one introducing a new crisis. 

The set is based on a tower that Alexander Dodge, our set designer, saw as a child. There is a bird’s eye view of the tower, the sensationof staring down the stairwell. It made me think of Hitchcock’s Vertigo, especially the tower scene at the end and the famous dolly zoom effect. 

I think of this upended environment as the interior of King Hjarne’s addled, paranoid head. The nightmare into which he plunges his family and his kingdom. The set will give us the opportunity, through the use of projection mapping, to swiftly move from one location to another and to create moments of terror and of wonder."

The Twelve Brothers - full banner illustration by (Phillis) Ming Hai -  click to view full size

 Here are some musical excerpts from The Thirteenth Child, with subtitled libretto and some lovely drawings, to give you a taste:

There is a special Q&A event with the creative team happening next Friday, July 26th:

Santa Fe Opera Presents: Conversation with Creative Team of The Thirteenth Child

Conversation with Creative Team of The Thirteenth Child

Moderated by Cori Ellison, Santa Fe Opera Dramaturg

Time & Location: Jul 26, 6:00 PM

Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehous,

202 Galisteo Street, Santa Fe, NM, USA

THE THIRTEENTH CHILD
Poul Ruders, composer
Becky and David Starobin, librettists
New Production. A World Premiere.
Co-commission and co-production with Odense Symphony Orchestra.
July 27, 31; August 9, 14, 21
Click HERE for tickets

ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS NOTE:

'Banner' illustrations throughout are from The Twelve Brothers by (Phyllis) Ming Hai. Please see her website and social media links below to view more of her lovely work.

WEBSITE: phyllisminghai.com 

TWITTER: @CloudieNine

INSTAGRAM: cloudienine

Eowyn Ivy's 'The Snow Child' Adapted As Bluegrass Themed Musical, Debuts Spring

Do you remember Eowyn Ivy's fairy tale-based novel The Snow Child?

This beautiful trailer might bring back lovely memories (and if you haven't read it, we recommend you do):

The Snow Child was an astonishing debut that hit the best-seller lists, had book clubs raving and even became a finalist for a Pulitzer. It was inevitable that this beautiful story of survival in a very different American wilderness, would find life in another form, and so it has: as a bluegrass-themed musical.

While bluegrass is a very different sort of soundtrack compared to the "gentle snowfall" one in the trailer above, no doubt it will add a whole new dimension to the story when they're put together.

Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel The Snow Child, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, is reborn as a magical new musical featuring a score that combines Alaskan string-band traditions and contemporary musical theater. The 1920 Alaskan wilderness is a brutal place to try to save a marriage. Reeling from the loss of an unborn child, Mabel and Jack struggle to rebuild their lives even as the fissures between them continue to widen. But everything changes suddenly when they are visited by a wild, mysterious girl who embodies the dark woods that surround their cabin. In this beautiful and violent land, things are rarely as they appear, and what the snow child teaches them will ultimately transform them all. (ArenaStage)

For music folks, who enjoy folk music, the link above includes an interview with the creators of the stage play, particularly with regard to the music and there is also an article from Bluegrass Today which goes into how the music was put together. You can read that one in full HERE.

Artistic Director, Molly Smith, and some of her key creative team for the show, recount how they were inspired and moved by Ivy's novel to bring it to the stage:

“The unimaginable expanse of Alaska was my home for almost half my life, and our cabin in Southeast Alaska remains a retreat for me from the heady politics of Washington, D.C.,” shares Smith. “When I first read the novel, I was struck by Eowyn Ivey’s ability to capture the wildness of Alaska; something I know our audiences will be eager to experience. This is a classic fairytale with a deeply human story—perfect for the stage. Bringing to life this world, from the Alaskan forests to the snow to the enchanted nature of the child, with remarkable collaborators like John, Georgia and Bob, and with a superb company of actors and designers is a particular thrill for me. A Power Play, Snow Child tackles the politics of Alaska at the turn of the century and the relationship of human beings to the environment.” 

“Molly sent me Eowyn Ivey’s novel back in the fall of 2014, and before I even finished reading it I wrote her to say ‘Yes, count me in. I love this book,’” says Stitt (Ed. co-composer & lyrics for Snow Child). “The story was so evocative, so theatrical, and the humanity of the main character, Mabel, was palpable. I’ve been most excited to write such a complex female character, to explore the relationships between what we own and what we only inhabit, and to write American theater music that lives fully and dramatically on the five most traditional bluegrass instruments (fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo and upright bass).” 

“The snow child is the magic and mystery at the heart of our story,” recounts Strand (Ed. who wrote the book for the musical). “Like the land she embodies, she transforms everyone around her. To Mabel and Jack, the struggling couple newly arrived in 1920s Alaska as homesteaders, the child is part desire, part redemption, or possibly madness—but surely, she is a reflection of the glorious and unforgiving wilderness that surrounds them all. It has been a privilege and a joy to work with the richly drawn characters from Eowyn Ivey’s novel.” (The Washington Sun)

It's not quite clear how much of the fairy tale - story or feel - will be integrated into the show. Most articles reference the development of the music, but it wouldn't be Eowyn Ivy's story without some of that fairy tale DNA in there either, so we look forward to the reviews.

There is an Artist Statement from Georgia Stitt's personal website, however, that fairy tale folk will find interesting:

Snow Child is based on a centuries-old Slavic folktale: a childless couple builds a small snowman and it comes magically to life, the child they always longed for. But the Snow Child comes with its own dangers and revelations. Taking a folktale and setting it in contemporary reality — the Alaska Territory in the 1920s — allows us to investigate some of the universal themes present here: the cycle of seasons with their echoes of death and rebirth; the struggle to survive in a wilderness that is often violent and unforgiving; the power of hope; the resilience of the human spirit; and the courage it takes to believe in something that cannot be explained logically but is passed down to us in story and song.
The setting of our tale draws us to the American pioneering urge, the homesteader alone against the elements, sometimes compelled — perhaps hopelessly — to try to tame what is better left wild. 

Alaska is what led the Snow Child creative team toward bluegrass, that deeply American music that is rooted in the land. Bluegrass is the musical language we use to get to the truth of this story, although the shared compositional goal between the two co-composers has been to take the best stylistic and harmonic elements of bluegrass music and combine them with the best narrative and storytelling elements of contemporary musical theater. In the resulting sound is the hybrid score of Snow Child. 

At the heart of our narrative is a courageous woman who battles back from despair and an attempt to take her own life. She discovers within her a strength of spirit to rival the tall forests and towering mountains of this magnificent land. It is the mysterious Snow Child who shows her the way.

Previews begin April 13th, with the premiere launching on April 26th in Washington, D.C. at Arena Stage.The production will run through May 20th, 2018.

Fairy Tale Oscar Watch 2018

One thing you may have missed in the all the Oscars advertising hype:

Best Picture is (very likely) between two fairy tale related films:

"The Shape of Water" and "Get Out".

The 90th Academy Awards  have quite a large representation with regard to folklore and fairy tales this year. With the Beauty and the Beast-like The Shape of Water up for a slew of awards (13!), including Best Picture and Best Director, the 'flipped' Beauty and the Beast/Bluebeard thriller/horror Get Out also up for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay (4 in all), the not-at-all-revolting Revolting Rhymes putting fairy tales front and center in the short film category, Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast getting noms for costume and production design, and the highly folkloric Coco up for best animated feature, fairy tales are likely to be a strong theme at the awards show this year. 

There's a good possibility there will be lots of water and beast type imagery, musical numbers, spoofs and jokes...

Illustrator Yoshitaka Amano (famous for character design of Final Fantasy) created a collaborative art piece for The Shape of Water, directed by Guillermo del Tor. Amano commented "I imagined he wraps himself in his cloak of water".
(Click for full size)

Fairy tales and fantasy have been in high demand the past year, meaning that in a year of great social unrest and confusion in the US (and inevitably, due to being a major world power, the rest of the world), fairy tales (and fantasy) are being turned to for many and varied reasons. They're a source of distracting - and positive - entertainment, they're used as a method for processing confusion and challenges and as a medium for expression for hope, anger, despair, and a call to change. From newly-desperate wishes for a happily-ever-after in a time of extreme difficulty and stress for many, to reflecting on simple truths that can cut clearly through a swath of fake news, to a beacon of creative inspiration that connects to human truths, fairy tales are surfacing everywhere. Fairy tale themed ads on TV tend to be split between sorting truth from fiction and being an inspirational element of hope despite various circumstances. Fairy tale based books, while always prolific, this past year have been hitting the bestseller lists when exposing their teeth, their dark underbellies and their smart, wily and take-no-prisoners heroines. 

Fairy tale films, in particular those with a happy ending, have caught the imagination and attention of the general public. While a film like The Shape of Water would be considered excellent at any point in history, we believe it's appearance at this time, has helped boost its profile, as this is the type of triumphant story of love winning over all odds, and the little people beating 'the big machine' that has resonated so strongly. It's the inspiration - and reassurance - people are searching for. Once again, a film's popularity has risen to meet its excellence in filmmaking, and it's a joy to see that being recognized at the Academy Awards - doubly so because its not at all shy about its fairy tale roots.

Here's the rundown of fairy tale and folklore-related films that are in the running, and for which category:

Film: The Shape of Water

Fairy Tale/Folklore Tie-ins:

• Beauty and the Beast
• The River God of the Amazon (Brazilian folklore meets The Creature From the Black Lagoon/Gill-man pop culture/urban legend)
• The silent heroine/hero and those keeping secrets [ATUs: 451 (eg. Six Swans), 442 (eg. Old Woman in the Forest), 533 (eg. Goose Girl),  945 (eg. Princess Who Couldn't Laugh/Speak), 923 (eg. Love Like Salt), and The Little Mermaid/Undine/The Fisherman and His Soul]
• There are even parallels that can be made with Sleeping Beauty (ATU 410) 
• There's even a little of the Moses story - both fishman and found in a river, grows to become savior of enslaved people, *spoiler* (highlight to view) disappears behind a wall of water to destiny *spoiler over*

Nominated for:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Actress
• Best Supporting Actress
• Best Supporting Actor
• Best Original Music Score
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Costume Design
• Best Film Editing
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Production Design
• Best Sound Editing

Oscar Favorite? Yes - especially for Best Picture, Best Production Design and possibly Best Director

Film: Get Out

Fairy Tale/Folklore Tie-ins: Beauty and the Beast, Bluebeard

Nominated for:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Actor

Oscar Favorite? Yes - contender for Best Picture, Favorite for Best Original Screenplay (Note: this film appears to have Maria Tatar's vote)

Film: Revolting Rhymes

Fairy Tale/Folklore Tie-ins: 

• A mix of classic fairy tales
• Red Riding Hood
• Snow White
• Three Little Pigs
• Cinderella
• Jack and the Beanstalk (etc)

Nominated for: Best Short Film (Animated)

Oscar Favorite? Yes

Film: Disney's Beauty and the Beast (live action)

Fairy Tale/Folklore Tie-ins: Beauty and the Beast (Villeneuve as well as Disney's animated classic)

Nominated for:

• Best Production Design
• Best Costume Design

Oscar Favorite? No

Film: The Breadwinner

Fairy Tale/Folklore Tie-ins: Afghan storytelling and fables

Nominated for: Best Animated Feature

Oscar Favorite? No

Film: Coco

Fairy Tale/Folklore Tie-ins: 

• Mexican Day of the Dead/Land of the Dead
• Mexican spirit animals
• Dante (dog's name)
• Aztec gods
• Alebrijes (Mexican folk art imaginary creatures - newish 'lore' dating back to 30's)

Nominated for:

• Best Animated Feature
• Best Music (Original Song)

Oscar Favorite? Yes - both for Best Animated Feature & for Best Song

Fairy Tale Bonus of the Day:

Check out this wonderful essay by Dr. Jeana Jorgensen:

Strategic Silences: Voiceless Heroes in Fairy Tales

This essay (available to read online for free) explores the use of silence in fairy tales, for both female and male heroes, discussing the many aspects of silence/mutism (voluntary, non-voluntary, tasks, spell-breaking etc) and looks at the variations from different cultures and eras.

Highly recommended!

In that vein, we bring you a timely reinterpretation of Oscar statues for a group of people long silenced in Hollywood: women. These re-visioned statues were created this year by A-list artists, especially in the wake of the #MeToo era. (If only we could see more of these on the red carpet as opposed to the 'casting couch' statue, that appeared days before the Oscars*, making a similar, but very differently focused, statement.)

The Oscar Statues Reinterpreted by A-list Artists for the #MeToo Era

*Only to be removed two nights before due to inclement weather. Reports are that it's unlikely to be reinstalled in time for the Academy Awards for the same reasons.

Google Translate Sings 'Aesthetic & the Animals' (aka B&tB) aka the importance of good translation!

Ah Google Translate! Where would researchers and far flung friends and colleagues be without you? Performer Malinda Kathleen Reese gave us a glimpse of what non-English speaking folks, trying to translate tales and lyrics via Google Translate, might be 'hearing' instead...

This is a bit of (very well done) fun, of course, but it illustrates wonderfully why, when studying tales translated to English from other languages, you should be aware of the translator and how accurate they're considered to be, or (if you're lucky and have their notes) why they chose to use certain words and phrases instead of the more obvious ones... for instance the ones the Google Translate might suggest. ;)
             
One of the difficulties in translating to English is that it's a very imprecise language and definitions are constantly evolving, because social and popular meaning changes. And that's only half of the equation. The other is the original language and its quirks. If you've ever dabbled in languages with even minor translation endeavors, you quickly learned that there is rarely a 'correct' way to translate  - except that the guaranteed 'wrong way' is to try the word-for-word method - and that it's more of an art form than a science of substituting equal meanings.

You have to take into account:

• the words and what they specifically mean (and their equivalent in the language you're translating too)
• what the words also imply (the subtext of using that specific word instead of similar ones), which is influenced by...
• the context at the time - and place - of writing
• all of which usually has a 'tone' and style

(A very small selection of recommended books of translated tales with lots of great notes!)

And that doesn't include:

• storytelling style - which is very important in translating tales
• cultural expressions, idioms, similes and metaphors
• those words that have no English equivalent

(And there are more factors too that a qualified folklorist or professional translator could discuss at length, but you get the idea.)

When you take these into account, even retelling old tales originally written in English can prove tricky..!

Speaking of untranslatable words, can you imagine a retelling of Rapunzel, in which these words - wonderfully illustrated  by Marija Tiurina - are used? (Click on the images to see full size.)

And what about this one for Riquet of the Tuft?

You can find a lovely bunch of many more 'untranslatable words', that have been wonderfully illustrated HERE.

It's a pretty fascinating subject and we're a little in awe of people who translate tales and other creative and social works (not to mention those who facilitate United Nations negotiations!). Be prepared for a fun ride down a rabbit hole if you decide to look into this subject further!

(Note: our suggestion, if you don't want a world of instant-overwhelm, would be to start with annotated tales, and tale collections in which the translators include their notes on the story origins, collection and translation process, sometimes summarized in a foreword on each of the stories. Be prepared to never read anything quite the same way again!)

And just because these are a lot of fun, here's Malinda's latest Google Translate Sings video with a compilation of Mary Poppins songs. Enjoy!

Want more? Malinda has a bunch of princess songs too, in which she sings the original and has a 'sing-off' with the google translate version. Funny stuff!

'The Little Match Girl Passion'

Match Girl by Sarah Gooll Putnam 1874

Hip-hop minimalist award winning choral work, based on Bach's Passion? Not your usual seasonal offering but it sounds like an amazing project we had to look into a bit further this year, as it's not the first - or second - time it has crossed our radar.

This musical work has been performed before in many different ways, using puppets, as well as a more traditional theatrical presentations (one of which you can see some photos of HERE, and another, more contemporary treatment HERE). Every performance has been presented to critical acclaim, but this new staging looks different again, and this time there are dancers.

The teaser trailer doesn't really give much of an idea, unfortunately, but the concept sounds wonderful and potentially very moving. (We're very curious what the dancer roles are...)

From the press release by ArtsWest, in Seattle, CA:

Performance dates: DEC 11 – DEC 22 2016 

Composed by David Lang, 2008 

Based on The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson 

Modeled after Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion, The Little Match Girl Passion is a modern, minimalist retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s tragic winter fairy tale. With only matches to keep her warm, a poor young girl, afraid to go home to her abusive father, takes shelter in an alley on a cold winter night. As she strikes each match, wonderful visions appear: when the last match is struck, the girl learns that the end of her suffering – and her life – is near. Featuring four of Seattle’s most critically acclaimed voices and the lyrical, hip-hop choreography of UJ Mangune, our production of David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning masterpiece is an intimate, unforgettable evening of music and dance. 

“The piece is at once an understated narrative and an ethereal meditation.” – The New York Times 

“David Lang’s retelling of Hans Andersen’s fairy tale is an entrancingly beautiful piece.” – The Guardian 

“Minimalist in form and quasi-medieval in its sublime austerity.” – The Los Angeles Times