The French composer Camille Saint-Saëns (9 Oct. 1835 – 16 Dec. 1921) wrote Le Carnaval des Animaux brimming with humour in 1886 for several musician friends. He also composed the work for the Paris carnival on the occasion of Mardi Gras. It is a suite of musical jokes and was a brilliant exercise in writing music. It is a musical parade of wild and domesticated animals: lions, elephants, chickens, swans. A pastiche built around descriptions of animals, written for eleven instruments: strings, woodwinds, percussion and keyboards. Music connoisseurs will recognize sounds in the music, as Saint-Saëns parodies works by Offenbach, Berlioz, Rossini and Tchaikovsky in this composition.
Like Peter and the Wolf, Le Carnaval des Animaux is often a work that children listen to in order to introduce them to classical music through the varied style of the composition, both soft and rhythmic, where children can pleasantly discover which animal hides behind the music.
Figurentheater DE MAAN, in collaboration with Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen/Kempen, transforms it into a visual spectacle for children from 3 years old, brimming with figures, animation and wonderful sounds. Young and old alike enjoy this 19th-century classic by Camille Saint-Saëns. A musical trip of about an hour with different atmospheres.
Direction, concept and musical arrangement Gorges Ocloo. Actor Joren Seldeslachts had only fourteen days to master the text and puppeteering. He takes the children along for the ride. A father with his son, a hand puppet, in search of a singing pig on a text by Josse De Pauw. He enters into dialogue with the audience. This results in an animated back-and-forth with the youngest and some understatements for the parents and grandparents. This keeps it engaging for everyone. With his son, he searches for the unique pig. A journey that takes them through seasons and landscapes, beautifully depicted in the animation by Senne Driessen. Paul Contryn and Katinka Heremans created wonderful puppets and figures again. Astrid Stockman was brought in for the singing. A naive, simple story tailored to the youngest, interspersed with the beautiful music of Camille Saint-Saëns. Although it is performed sparingly, which is a pity. Aurally and visually a taste of things to come, a stepping stone to theatre and concerts later.
WHAT: Musical performance Le Carnaval des Animaux - Camille Saint-Saëns
WHO: Figurentheater DE MAAN
- Production: DE MAAN in collaboration with Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen/Kempen
- Performance: Joren Seldeslachts
- Direction: Gorges Ocloo
- Text: Josse De Pauw
- Figures: Paul Contryn and Katinka Heremans
- Animation: Senne Driessen
- Singing: Astrid Stockman
- Music: Camille Saint-Saëns
WHERE: DE MAAN, Mechelen
WHEN: Saturday 29 October '22