A Fairytale Evening

About

PUSHKIN CLUB PROGRAMME Language: In English Charlotte Pyke and Tessa Grobel combine a love of music and story-telling to bring you an evening dedicated to the colour and atmosphere of Russian folklore, with music and singing enhancing the narrative. Charlotte spent some of her childhood in Russia and then trained at theatre school in St Petersburg, before returning to work as an actress in London. Russian folk tales have made a lasting impression on her- the colourful characters and dramatic landscapes are of a world as much steeped in magic as in realism, giving the tales a quirky and surprising feel. At times humorous and at times serious, both beautiful and violent, the tales don't always carry a clear message, more often hinting at life's contradictions. The cunning fox outwits the trusting wolf, Baba Yaga chases her prey in a pestle and mortar, a tanner rescues a maiden from a dragon, an old man shoots his evil wife, two strapping lads leap out of an empty sack and lay a feast of kingly plenty. Interspersed with music and song by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov and Medtner- themselves all composers who took inspiration from Russian folklore- there will be readings and film excerpts of stories including The Snowmaiden, Baba Yaga, and Ruslan and Ludmila. Actresses Tilly Gaunt, Laura Pyper and Charlotte Pyke will read excerpts from the tales in English, soloists Maya Sapone and Robin Bailey, accompanied by pianist Tessa Grobel, will sing in both English and Russian, and the wonderful Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian will weave a spell with her voice and the harp, improvising music to paint a colourful scene of romance, adventure and vastness of the Russian landscape...