Mary Sheldon

Pairing music with fairy tales is a great idea, but this offering falls a bit flat. The connection between Ravel’s music and the tales was never really developed. The music just became an interlude between the tales. Also, the selection of tales was a bit odd. With all the wonderful fairy tales available, these seemed like a strange choice, especially the tale that was so similar to Sleeping Beauty, except that the baby was cursed with being ugly. Hepburn did an excellent job in narrating the tales, but it only makes one wish she had read different material.… (mehr)

An audio CD, this is a delight to own. Audrey Hepburn tells lovely fairy tales, set to the background of The Mother Goose Suite by Ravel. Sadly, there are only four tales, aside from the narrator's tale of herself and Ravel. The tales are also heavily slanted to the princess and prince type; Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, Beauty and the Beast, and a story which I had not heard before, but which had the theme of Beauty and the Beast and some enchanting creatures called "Pagodes." It is only an hour long, but a lovely hour.… (mehr)