Maximus Musicus is a musical mouse and when he returns one morning after an invigorating walk, some interesting guests are arriving at the concert hall – large groups of children! The youngsters are there to rehearse a ballet with the symphony orchestra and they dance so well that Maxi becomes curious. Where did they become so good? Maxi decides to find out and has a great day at the ballet school. On returning to the concert hall, Maxi manages to save the performance just in time for curtainup.
The story revolves around the music of the Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel with its many different fairy-tale characters: Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, Beauty and the Beast, a Chinese Princess, and a Fairytale Garden, as well as Glazunov’s Winter, Tchaikovski’s Sleeping Beauty Ouverture, and Pas de deux. The story ends with Fire by Icelandic composer Jórunn Vidar.
“Maximus Musicus Saves the Ballet is a wonderful and imaginative book, fantastically illustrated and a delightful introduction to the world of Ballet. Bravo!”
HELGI TOMASSON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF
THE SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
(1964-2020) was principal flautist of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra for over twenty years and an experienced music teacher. She received multiple awards and recognition for her work, including a YAM Award (Young Audiences Music Award) in 2019 and was appointed More about the author