Fairy Tales

Our concert this year features music inspired by fairy tales and folk legends. These rich sources have inspired countless movies and television shows, as well as ballets, operas, and symphonies. Here are a few examples of other works inspired by fairy tales and legends.

Hansel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck

This opera is based on the fairy tale about a brother and sister who get lost in the woods and meet a witch who lives in an enchanted gingerbread house. Humperdinck combined traditional folk melodies with more complex harmonies to create a beloved opera that is popular with children and adults.

Eventyr (Once Upon a Time) by Frederick Delius

This tone poem is based on “Soria Moria Castle” the best-known Norwegian fairy tale. The story follows the adventures of a boy named Halvor who finds a castle filled with trolls. The music portrays his adventures including the shouts of the trolls while they chase Halvor!

Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) by Maurice Ravel

This piece was originally written as a piano duet for the children of Ravel’s friends. Later, Ravel arranged the work for orchestra. The five movements tell the story of Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, the Empress of the Pagodas, Beauty and the Beast, and a depiction of a Fairy Garden.

Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

This ballet tells the classic story of Sleeping Beauty who is cursed by the evil fairy Carabosse to prick her finger on a spindle and die. However, the Lilac Fairy is able to change the curse, causing Aurora not to die, but to sleep for 100 years before being awoken by the kiss of a handsome prince. This became one of Tchaikovsky’s most popular works. The waltz from the ballet was used in the Disney movie version.

Sadko by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

This Russian fairy tale opera tells the story of a wandering minstrel who visits the underwater kingdom of the Sea Tsar.

“Volkhova’s Lullaby”

The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky

This ballet is based on a Russian fairy tale about a mythical bird who helps a prince defeat an evil sorcerer to save a princess.  

“Infernal Dance of King Kaschei and Lullaby”

Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev

In this beloved fable, we are introduced to the members of the orchestra as they tell the story of Peter who saves his friends from a dangerous wolf.

Here’s the story in less than a minute!

Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

In this orchestral masterwork, Rimsky-Korsakov portrays some of the stories told by Scheherazade in the One Thousand and One Nights. A solo violin is Scheherazade and her stunning melody helps to open and close the piece, as if she is telling us the stories.

“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Paul Dukas

This symphonic poem was based on a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It became widely known in the Disney film Fantasia where Mickey is the apprentice who has a little trouble with some brooms and water.

Cinderella by Rodgers and Hammerstein

This musical was originally written for television and later was performed on Broadway. It tells the classic story of an under appreciated daughter who meets her handsome prince.

Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman

This retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, tells the story of the witches of Oz and how they came to be. The musical has been a huge hit on Broadway and has recently been made into two movies.