Jack and the Beanstalk

Music by Georgs Pelecis
Text adapted by Donald Sturrock

Jack and the Beanstalk was premiered in the Royal Albert Hall in December 1996 to a packed and excited audience of 6,000 people, with an all-star cast including Danny DeVito, Joanna Lumley and Simon Callow. The piece was broadcast nationally on Classic FM. It is based on Dahl's version of a traditional fairy-tale from his comic verse collection, Revolting Rhymes. The music is by the Latvian Georgs Pelecis whose work has been championed by many distinguished musicians including Gidon Kremer and Alexei Lyubimov.

The Independent hailed the discovery of Pelecis' "original imagination"; and the Evening Standard described the score as "childlike, but heroic, with an abundance of dances," while the Times Educational Supplement praised Pelecis' combination of "the diatonic and minimalist, with an air of enchantment, steeped in melody, colour and rhythmic interest."

For narrator/s and symphony orchestra

40 minutes
Published by Peters Edition

Orchestrations

1-4 Narrator/s 2 (2nd picc) . 2. 2 6 saxes. 2 (2nd contra) / 4.4.3.1./ timp. perc (3) . / strings

A chamber ensemble version for 18 players is also available. The work can be presented in staged, semi-staged or concert versions

Translations

Norwegian

Educational Support

Performance History

1996: World Premiere: London, RPO (Peter Ash)
1997: Nottingham
1998: Calgary, Vancouver
1999: US Premiere - Buffalo, New York - Ujima Theatre
2000: Edmonton, Canada, various UK
TV Premiere as "Revolting Concert" - BBC NOW
2001: Various UK
2003: Grand Rapids, USA
2004-6: Various Canadian
2007: Calgary, Canada (Dandi Productions)

Recordings

Recording Rights available

Future Performances

Jack and the Beanstalk will be performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on November 14, 2009.

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