MEIRION BOWEN - Debussy: La boite à joujoux (1913) Performances & Reviews

 


February 23, 2003
Tskopoulos Library Galleria, Central Library, 828 I Street, Sacramento, CA at 2pm
Performance for children, with narrator and glove puppets
Ensemble from the Cammellia Symphony Orchestra
conductor: Eugene Castillo



Family Concert at the Cadaquès Festival, Catalonia, Spain - August 7, 2002
Version with Catalan text: La caixa de joguines
Solistes de l'Orquestra de Cadaquès
Mireia Casa (narrador)
Conductor: Eugene Castillo

 

Spanish premiere October 2001

Seven performances of La boite à joujoux - the first in Spain - were given in Pamplona by the Orquesta Pablo Sarasate conducted by Carlos Dominguez-Nieto. These are special presentations for children and families, with a new Spanish narration by Fernando Palacios.

 

German premiere

Philharmonie, Cologne (children's concert in the Cologne Triennial Festival)
also broadcast on radio by WDR (July 19)
Text written & narrated by Konrad Beikircher
Ensemble Contrasts conducted by Celso Antunes

Further information: www.ensemble-contrasts.com

The Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger (3 May) reviewed the performance thus:

Die ‚,MusikTriennale Köln" hat auch ein Herz für Kinder - und dies nicht nur am Eigelsteintor, sondern auch in der Philharmonie. Dort gab es in einer Matinee am 1 Mai eine o aufmerksam verfolgte und beifällig beklatschte Aufführung von Claude Debussys "Die Spielzeugschach-tel", ein heiteres Melodramin einer behutsam aktualisierenden Ein-richtung von Meirion Bowen. Das fünfzigminütige Stück untersucht die Frage, was denn. passieren könnte, wenn der reiche Inhalt einer großen Kiste mit Kinderspielzeug zum Leben erweckt wird - und das ergab viel Oho! und Aha! und Aufregung im Auditorium. Der Kölner Publikumsliebling Konrad Beikircher hat das artige Opus in bewährter Manier gestiku-lierend erzählt, mit viel Schluckauf durchsetzt. Das vierzehnköpfige "Ensemble Contrasts" spielte die durchsichtige Kammerfassung mal sehr luzide, mal ziemlich prima vista'- und der Dirigent Celso Antunes avancierte durch seine beschwörenden Bewe-gungen schier zum Helden des Ge-schehens. Seine tanzbärenhafte At-titüde gefiel manchen Kindern er-klärtermaßen so gut wie die roten Schuhe des Komponisten Boweh, nicht zu reden von der Erlaubnis, nach dem Konzert im Foyer die In-strumente ausprobieren zu dürfen. Ein gelungener Vormittag, vermut-lich auch für die reich bedankten In-terpreten und einige vergnügte älte-re Jahrgänge im Publikum. (GB)

[The Cologne Music Triennale also take good care of children …In the Philharmonie, a well attended morning concert on May 1 took place: at this, a performance of Debussy's 'La boite a joujoux', an amusing melodrama presented in a carefully planned new version by Meirion Bowen, was enthusiastically applauded. This 50-minute piece stimulated Oh's! and Ah's! from the audience. Konrad Beikiricher, a favourite with the Cologne public, narrated the work in an appropriate fashion, with gestures and amusing hiccups. The Ensemble Contrasts sounded increasingly lucid as the piece progressed and the conductor Celso Antunes, identifying strongly with the music, was the hero of the occasion. The harp's dance music was found pleasing by many intelligent children here, as were the red shoes of the musical arranger, Mr Bowen - not to mention the chance they had afterwards to try out the instruments in the foyer…]

 

First Production in Germany with Puppets (February/March 2002)

A puppet version of La boîte à joujoux was premiered on Fenbruary 24, 2002 at the Gasteig in Munich. It was presented by by Concierto München/Münchner PuzzleTheater: the designer was Kerstin Mühl and the conductor Carlos Dominguez-Nieto. Two further performances given at Unterhaching (March 1, 2002) and Eching (March 3, 2002).

 

USA Premiere
Sunday February 25, 2001
Students' Union Ballroom, State University of California
Cammellia Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Eugene Castillo

(2 performances for children, with narrations in English & spanish- Two special presentations of the work for children were given on Sunday February 25 at the Students' Union Ballroom at the State University of California in Sacramento. Taking part are members of the Cammellia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eugene Castillo.

Following the success of their two performances for children last February, the Cammellia Symphony Orchestra scheduled a further performance for February 24, 2002. The conductor again was Eugene Castillo. This time there was no narrator: the story was told through pictures created by local children.