THE BEAR for narrator (or film), girl soprano, tenor, baritone and orchestra op.510 (April 1999)

Notes

The animated film of 'The Bear' was made by the same team that made ‘The Snowman’ based again on a story by Raymond Briggs and first shown on Channel 4 TV on Christmas Eve 1998. It is like a companion-piece to ‘The Snowman’ except that the hero is a small girl – sung on the film by Charlotte Church.

A young girl, Tilly, visits the zoo with her mum and dad, but accidentally drops her best loved toy into the polar bear's pit. That night, Tilly cries herself to sleep, only to wake and find a huge polar bear standing over her- he's come to return her precious teddy.

So begins a magical friendship with some bear-size complications, the biggest problem being how to keep such an enormous pet hidden from her parents. Everything changes when The Bear hears a call of the wild from the spirit of The Great Bear who descends from the constellation in the sky to embark on an extraordinary night adventure across the City of London.

In the concert version The Polar Bear is represented by a tenor and the Star-Bear by a bass-baritone. All three singers join in the song ‘Somewhere a star shines for everyone’, sung as they skate down the frozen Thames and again at the end.

Concert performances have proved to be as popular with audiences as ‘The Snowman’ in venues that range from London’s Barbican to Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, The Usher Hall Edinburgh and The City Hall Hong Kong.

Optional film or DVD projection available It may be performed either with narrator or with projection of the original animated film
available from www.thesnowman.co.uk    enquiries: alex.tham@btconnect.com 

 

Performances

5th December 2008 - 6th December 2008	Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong., Concert including 'The Snowman' concert work. 3 perfs 5th Dec 7.30, 6th Dec 3.00 & 7.30
1st June 2008	The Macao Orchestra conducted by Francis Kan, Macao Cultural Centre. Grand Auditorium Children's Day Concert-My world of fairytales
2nd December 2007	Bath Philharmonia: Howard Blake double bill The Snowman and The Bear. 2.30pm, 7.30pm, CARDIFF: St David’s Hall (029 2087 8500) ,
25th November 2007	Bath Philharmonia conducted by Jason Thornton (2 performances, matinee and evening), Theatre Royal Bath Concert of 'The Snowman'and 'The Bear' with pre-concert talk by Howard Blake with Jason Thornton
17th December 2006	RTE Concert Orchestra, The Helix, Dublin tbc
10th December 2006	Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra conducted by Richard Honner, Hong Kong City Concert Hall With The Snowman and both with projected film
19th June 2005	City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, Anthony Inglis, Kowloon City Hall
13th December 2004 - 18th December 2004	Royal Scottish National Orchestra,David Rintoul, Christopher Bell, Usher Hall Edinburgh, Caird Hall Dundee, The Music Hall Aberdeen, Royal Concert Hall Glasgow Performed with both narration and projected DVD of the animated film
29th December 2003	Michael Fenton Stevens, London Concert Orchestra, Howard Blake (cond.), The Barbican Concert Hall, City of London
28th December 2003	Michael Fenton Stevens (narrator), London Concert Orchestra conducted by Howard Blake, Birmingham Symphony Hall

Related Works

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