A double bill of cinematic magical musical stories for children will be taking place in a beautiful West London church in aid of children’s charity NSPCC Childline on Saturday, 17th May.
Zal and the Phoenix Live will open the double-bill, a 1,000 year-old Tale by Iran’s celebrated poet Ferdowsi, from his epic book The Shahnameh, which was featured in the BBC Documentary Film Series Art of Persia and at the Epic Iran exhibition at the V&A Museum.
Renowned film director Tony Palmer will narrate Zal and The Phoenix alongside 10-year-olds Jack Larsson and Mary Georgiadis. Illustrations by Annabel Sebag-Montefiore and Cristina Martin will be projected onto the screen to a soundtrack of Persian music on original instruments recorded by Iranian cousins Adib & Mehdi Rostami.
Closing the double-bill will be Peter and the Wolf Live. Concert-pianist Parvis Hejazi will accompany the Oscar-winning stop-frame model animation film of Prokofiev’s immortal musical story – the first time the film has been screened with solo piano.
The young German-Iranian will be taking the baton from the 2008 film’s music director, British conductor Mark Stephenson, who is artistic director and concert producer of the event.
Mark said: “Prokofiev, born in Donetsk, Ukraine, part of the former USSR, first scored the work for piano, before orchestrating and performing it with the Moscow Children’s Theatre in 1936. The film has no dialogue or narration, its pure animation and music, universal, no language barrier.”
The Prokofiev Estate, BreakthruFilms, Avex Classics International and Boosey & Hawkes have all given permission and are waving their fees in favour of NSPCC Childline, the charity which will receive all the box office proceeds.
Binita Shah, NSPCC Community Fundraising Manager for South London, said: “We hope that families will enjoy this magical double bill. We receive over 80% of our funding from voluntary donations, and just £4 could help answer a child’s call for help to our service Childline. Every penny raised is appreciated. We’d like to thank Mark Stephenson, Joanna Saunders, and the NSPCC Kensington and Chelsea branch for creating the event!”
