“This is how you can get children excited about classical music. Hoffmann, who is the first violinist of the Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted his work himself, and class 4b of the Friedrich Ebert Primary School illustrated the story beautifully with pictures.” WAZ Dortmund
Von Maus und Mond oder wer ist der Größte
(Of mouse and moon or who is the greatest)
Music: Alf Hoffmann
Text : Paul Maar
duration: approx. 51 minutes
Paul Maar has long studied the art and myths of the Inuit and dared to attempt to invent a story in the style of Inuit fairy tales.
In the story, two Inuit boys argue about which of them is the taller. And since the Inuits still listen to the voice of the elders, grandmother Leah is supposed to settle the dispute.
She does this by telling the boys the old story of the haughty moon, who also believes he is the greatest, until he is proven wrong by a puddle of water, a hare and a fox.
Apparently, the argument is then settled. But now each of the boys insists that they may not be the biggest, but they are the strongest. So old Leah has to make it clear to both of them that the biggest is not always the strongest. And the Mouse King will also learn this in the story she is about to tell.
In this children’s concert, composer Alf Hoffmann gives Paul Maar’s pictures and stories a sonorous form through the orchestra.
And so, in the arctic landscape of the orchestra, in which the clouds drift through the wind instruments, the wind rushes through the strings and the sun rises in the percussion and piano, the feisty Inuit boys and with them the listeners listen to the grandmother’s stories.
Orchestra :
picc., fl., ob., 2 cl., bass,
Tp., Pos., Tuba,
piano,
percussion,
Timp,
Viol. 1 and 2, Viola, Vc., Cb.
Speaker
Chamber ensemble instrumentation :
Fl/Picc., clar., Pos., perc., piano, viol., Vc., Cb. and speaker
Piano trio:
Viol., Vc., piano and speaker
The scores and the orchestral parts are available for rental from Alf Hoffmann
Performances i.a.:
UA Theater Bremen/ Bremer Philharmoniker
Conductor: GMD Markus Poschner
Saarländisches Staatstheater Saarbrücken
chamber orchestra instrumentation
Theater Luzern / Luzerner Sinfonieorchester
Theater Regensburg/Philharm. Orch. Regensburg
Speaker: Ralf Müller
Theater Luzern / Luzerner Sinfonieorchester
Speaker: Juri Tetzlaff
Conductor: Alf Hoffmann
Theater Braunschweig /Staatsorchester Braunschweig
chamber orchestra instrumentation
Ensemble Wuppertaler Kinderkonzerte
Pianotrio
German
View material and demo – CD on request
The scores and the orchestral parts will be available for rental from Alf Hoffmann.
picture: anonym