Classical music meets traditional storytelling in this multi-arts take on A Christmas Carol for the whole family, in which Charles Dickens’s story is narrated against a backdrop of vintage illustrations, film footage and excerpts from pieces of classical music.
This is the eighth in a series of videos combining famous pieces of classical music with fairytales and classic children’s stories. In this video the classical music journalist Hannah Nepilová narrates the A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens accompanied by a selection of illustrations. Meanwhile, excerpts of classical music by Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Franz Schubert, Modest Mussorgsky, Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt provide colour and characterisation, and bring out the drama in the narrative.
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This production was originally presented as a live performance in December 2018 featuring the actor Saul Reichlin (1942-2023) and the pianist John Paul Ekins. John Paul Ekins also suggested many of the musical works and played a huge part in helping to put the show together.
Classical music journalist Hannah Nepilová originally founded Classical Tales in 2018 soon after having her first baby, Joshua, as a series of live performances for children combining classical music with narration. After having her second baby, Emily, in 2021, she reinvented the concept as a series of videos for viewers to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes.
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