Celebrating the natural world, this suite of five zoological sketches continues the composer's quest to write short, attractive and accessible classical works for young ears to enjoy.
The first movement depicts the monkey. Relentless, always chattering excitedly and always scampering. This piece has the feel of a quick march, in deference to the collective noun for monkeys, "troop". The mara is highlighted in the second movement. It is known for the way it moves ("pronking") when threatened. In contrast, the third movement, simply titled "Slow(th)", represents a seemingly weary and increasingly sleepy sloth. The music is necessarily in short bursts, as energy allows. The characterful penultimate movement conjures up images of the pygmy hippo, wallowing like its larger cousin. The final movement is all about the giant panda. Playful and clumsy in texture and treatment, it's almost clown-like. If you're brave enough, you might like to think about handing out kazoos, combs-and-paper, mirlitons or whatever to a few responsible members of your audience and invite them to join in for the final time the main melody occurs. But be prepared for mayhem!
