''The Runaway Bunny'' is a

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typi ...

for violin, reader and orchestra by the contemporary American composer Glen Roven, with text from the classic children's bedtime story '' The Runaway Bunny'' by

Margaret Wise Brown Margaret Wise Brown (May 23, 1910 – November 13, 1952) was an American writer of children's books, including ''Goodnight Moon'' and ''The Runaway Bunny'', both illustrated by Clement Hurd. She has been called "the laureate of the nursery" for ...

. The concerto premiered at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

on April 29, 2008 with Roven conducting the

American Symphony Orchestra The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York-based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski whose mission is to demystify orchestral music and make it accessible and affordable for all audiences. Leon Botstein is the orchestra's m ...

with Glenn Close narrating.

Composition history

Composer Glen Roven first conceived of writing a piece based on ''The Runaway Bunny'' after having seen the 2001 film ''

Wit Wit is a form of intelligent humour, the ability to say or write things that are clever and usually funny. Someone witty is a person who is skilled at making clever and funny remarks. Forms of wit include the quip, repartee, and wisecrack. Form ...

'' based on the play of the same name by Margaret Edson. In the film, ''The Runaway Bunny'' is read to

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

by Eileen Atkins. Roven's first sketches were for a concerto for violin, singer and orchestra, however upon advice of the Israeli-American violinist Ittai Shapira, (for whom the solo violin part was originally written), it was decided to replace the singer with narration integrated into the overall musical structure. The work is in a single movement, with numerous tempo changes depicting the bunny's adventures. According to the composer, ''The Runaway Bunny'' is similar to other classical concert works based on children's stories such as Prokofiev's '' Peter and the Wolf'', Kleinsinger's "

Tubby the Tuba Tubby is a nickname and surname and may refer to: People Nickname * Tubby Clayton (1885–1972), Anglican clergyman, founder of the Christian movement Toc H * Michael Lindsay Coulton Crawford (1917–2017), Second World War Royal Navy officer an ...

", Chappell's "Paddington Bear's First Concert" or Poulenc's "L'histoire de Babar." The composer has subsequently arranged the orchestral score for piano trio and piano solo. All editions are published by Bill Holab Music. This is the first concert piece to be based upon one of Margaret Wise Brown's popular children's tales.

The text

The text for Glen Roven's composition is drawn from ''The Runaway Bunny'', a 1942 picture book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by

Clement Hurd Clement Gazzam Hurd (January 12, 1908 – February 5, 1988) was an American artist. He is known for illustrations of children's picture books, especially collaborations with writer Margaret Wise Brown including ''Goodnight Moon'' (1947) and ''The ...

. The plot deals with a little bunny who wants to run away, becoming variously a fish, a rock on the mountain, a crocus in a hidden garden, a bird, a sailboat, a circus acrobat, a finally a little boy until he resigns himself to just stay where he is and remain his mother's little bunny. Mother Bunny appears as a fisherman, a mountain climber, a gardener, a tree, a cloud, a trapeze walker, and finally the mother herself. Brown claimed that her inspiration for ''The Runaway Bunny'' came from "Chanson de Magali", a love song based on French Provençal folklore. The call-and-response (music) structure of Brown's text provides an emotionally compelling depiction of a small child's first burst of independence and a mother's affirmation of unconditional love.

Featured performances

The broad popularity of Glen Roven's setting of Margaret Wise Brown's text has attracted many international celebrities including: *Shawn King, introduced by Larry King (performed during the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, August 31, 2006) *Carnegie Hall World Premiere.

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby'' (1978). She continued to model into ...

was announced, but was not able to perform the World Premiere. * Glenn Close * Kate Mulgrew * Catherine Zeta-Jones

Recordings

*2008: Narrator:

; conductor: Barry Wordsworth; violin solo: Ittai Shapira;

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

Sony 722855 *2012: Narrator: Catherine Zeta-Jones (Piano Trio version); Trio 21 GPR11012

References

External links

GPR Records websiteReview: AllMusic Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Runaway Bunny, The Songs about rabbits and hares English children's songs Compositions with a narrator 2008 compositions