I received 3 new CD's this month and of course the kids have a favorite and I have a favorite. I found that these were all a little more Folk Art type music verses your standard Rock N Roll. Many of them have a variety of instruments that you won't see in a typical band and the Merry Pranks of Master Till has a full orchestra in the background.
The Merry Pranks of Master Till
London Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Stephen Simon of Maestro Classics
The medieval tale about a boy named Till are set to Richard Strauss' classical tone poem, Till Eulenspiegel. Till plays tricks on people to show them that they may not be as high and mighty as they think! Twisting the words of professors and bakers, tailors and priests, Till travels the countryside. In the end, however, he discovers that the world has little patience for his antics.
There is an enclosed 24-page activity book which includes the stories of Till illustrated by Giles Laroche, a biography of Richard Strauss, information on the French horn, a crossword puzzle and more! The Merry Pranks of Master Till is available on CD or MP3 download here.
My Thoughts:
I've heard 3 of the CD's so far that make up the Maestro Classics library and The Merry Pranks of Master Till is the most recent. See my review for The Soldier's Tale. I've thoroughly enjoyed all of them & love hearing the accent of Yadu who is the Narrator. The music is upbeat and the orchestra is draws you into the emotion and movement of the story.
I do have a small warning: The only thing I didn't care about with this particular story is that Till is hung near the end of his story - BUT as we all know Fairy Tales all have a reason for the story and the original stories had a purpose which was to teach children (and probably adults too) that crime, lies, stealing, being cruel or disobedient never paid and the consequences aren't fun. I do need to say though -My eldest is almost 8 and doesn't even know what it means when it's said someone was hung. So, I doubt he would connect with that particular consequence of Tills behavior.
Right now, there are 12 CD's in this series of Stories in Music. You will find the following stories on their Website. These make a great gift especially if you can find the original picture book to go with them & they are great to listen to in the car or at rest time. I'm sure many of the Titles are familiar to you and definitely to your kiddos!
Peter and the Wolf
Carnival of the Animals
The Merry Pranks of Master Till (I own this one)
The Tortoise and the Hare
The Story of Swan Lake
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (I also own this one)
My Name is Handal
Juanita the Spanish Lobster (I've read this book - it's great!)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Casey at the Bat
The Soldier's Tale (I also own this one)
Juanita la langosta espanola
Swan Lake Orchestral Version
Currently on sale:
(Pls check price before ordering as I don't know
how long they are on sale!)
The Complete 12 CD Collection
The Complete MP3 Collection
Maestro Classics is an award winning classical music & educational company that produces CDs with stories for kids & parents that are performed by the London Philharmonic. Some of the awards they have received are: Parents' Choice Awards, NAPPA Awards, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio - Platinum, National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, The Teachers' Choice Award, School Library Journal Audio of the Week, Creative Child Magazine Awards, Children's Music Web Award, Dr. Toy Awards, ALSC Notable Children's Recordings - Editors Choice, ALA Booklist - Editors Choice Award, iParenting Media Award, PTPA Media Awards, Mom's Choice Award.
Learn more about Maestro Classics & follow along @: Website / Facebook
Disclaimer: I received this CD in exchange for my honest review. Regardless I only recommend products or services I have personally read or used & think my readers will enjoy.
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