Three Fables was commissioned by sound, Red Note Ensemble and Woodend Barn as part of the PRS for Music Foundation's New Music Biennial in 2014. It is a new children’s work for 6 musicians and narrator based on tales sent in by children from different countries across the Commonwealth, rewritten by award-winning playwright Zinnie Harris.
Two of the tales were sent by children from Uganda and India with the participation of development charity SCIAF, and the third is a new story from Scotland written for this project by Zinnie Harris.
'[...]Three Fables by Stephen Montague, the sharp imagery of whose writing, coupled with Red Note Ensemble’s virtuosic delivery and actor Crawford Logan’s colourful narration, turned these humorous animal-based stories – including a hilarious tale of avenging midges – into intoxicating music theatre.' The Scotsman
The performance of Three Fables was recorded live by the BBC at the South Bank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 6 July 2014 and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 between 7 and 13 July 2014. The NMC digital recording is available to download here.
sound also delivered a music project in Aberdeenshire primary schools alongside this project where pupils created their own tales and set them to music.
