small things

Maestro Classics giveaway!

Today’s giveaway is from Maestro Classics!  My children have grown to love classical music, so I was thrilled to discover Maestro Classics, and only wish I had known about their albums sooner!  If you’ve been looking for a simple way to introduce your children to classical music in a way that makes it fun and accessible, I think you will really appreciate their collection.

Stories in Music is a classical music CD series for children and families. Produced by Maestro Classics, this series of works for narrator and symphony orchestra features new, sophisticated performances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and child-friendly, fun-filled stories and musical explanations.  Educational for adults and children alike, this series grew out of family concerts created by conductor Stephen Simon and his wife, music educator/executive producer Bonnie Ward Simon, and premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.  Rave reviews nationwide and numerous top awards have greeted this unique series of classical music CDs for kids with its signature format.

Maestro Classics’ latest release is Carnival of the Animals, one of my family’s favorites.  Today, they are offering one of you a copy of Carnival of the Animals.  I think you’ll love it!  Do you remember when I linked to a performance of Camille Saint-Saens’ “The Swan?”  That beautiful piece is from Carnival of the Animals, and happened to be the only piece from Carnival of the Animals that Saint Saens allowed to be published before his death.  He worried that the rest of the music might be considered frivolous or not serious enough.

“Lions roar, elephants dance, roosters crow at clucking hens, kangaroos leap, fish swim, wild donkeys race, xylophones clatter like fossils, clarinets cuckoo, virtuosic flutes imitate sounds of the aviary, the cello plays its famous swan song, and the tortoise does the world’s slowest can-can in Saint-Saëns’ musical picture gallery of the animal kingdom that also includes pianists practicing scales and some animals with long ears who are rumored to be music critics. The Maestro Classics recording of Carnival of the Animals features the droll verse that Ogden Nash wrote for each of the work’s fourteen movements, recited here by Maestro Classics’ beloved narrator, Yadu (a.k.a. Dr. Konrad Czynski).

With eminent conductor Stephen Simon directing the London Philharmonic Orchestra, stellar contributions by pianists Wendy Chen and Donna Kwong, a lovely interpretation of the French folk song “Au Clair de la Lune” by soprano Rachel Barham, and intriguing observations by Stephen Simon and “elucidator” Bonnie Ward Simon, in addition to a French/English interactive singing project and activities offered in a beautifully illustrated, 24-page program booklet, this recording of Carnival of the Animals, will be treasured forever by children and adults alike.”

For your chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post.  If you are interested in receiving additional chances you can:  Visit the Maestro Classics website and leave a comment sharing which album you would most like to share with your family, “Like” Maestro Classics on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you did so, and follow them on Twitter.  Just make sure you leave separate comments for each additional chance to win!  You might also want to check out Bonnie’s blog for more musical inspiration!

Comments are closed.  The winner is Savannah:  “My Littles love  dancing to music and pretending to be animals…what a perfect combination!”

Thanks Maestro Classics!

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. how have i not known about these! what a treasure. i’m hoping for Swan Lake – but any one of them, i know my whole family would just love!

  6. We went to see Carnival of the Animals for a Tiny Tots performance last year- the kids loved it. I think we’ll be adding this to our Christmas list!

  12. What a wonderful giveaway! We recently purchased the Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel CD and we love it — wish I would have gotten it sooner.

  14. Wow, these all look great! I think the kids might be getting one of these for Christmas. Thanks for sharing.

  19. I would love to get My Name Is Handel: The Story of Water Music. I discovered Water Music as a child – someone gave me a tape as a Christmas present, and have loved it ever since. I used 2 of the songs in my wedding!

  32. This looks great! I’d love to have a copy. My boy loved his classical music cd as a baby and I’d love to “graduate” him to Maestro Classics.

  47. These look wonderful. My kids love our classical music cd’s, especially the “fast” ones. 🙂 I think the Carnival of Animals would be a fun addition to the mix. This would make a great Christmas gift.

  48. I would love to get the Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel album, since they say that is the place to start!

  50. Oh, I have been eyeing these for a while…would be the perfect Christmas gift for my new piano-lesson-taking son!