10. Penguins in the Opera House (3:47)

cork@chamberblues.com 773-551-6141

STYLE: Children's Poet set to Gershwinesque music

I wrote this poem in the early 70s and then in the 90s I asked Hans Wurman to put it to music. This was recorded in 1994.

Music. Arrangement, Orchestration, Conducting. by Hans Wurman
Poem and narration by C. Siegel
Violins: Lisa Wurman, Katherine Hughes, Viola: Richard Halajian, Cello: Felix Wurman and ensemble vocals

This was a children’s poem I wrote around 1973. The brilliant musical arrangement was written in 1993 by my late friend Hans Wurman, a Jewish composer, pianist, and cellist, who escaped from Austria when the Nazis took over the country. As a musical child prodigy Hans was saved by his teacher; “Not this one,” as the rest of his schoolmates were destined for Dachau. (A brash reminder of the authoritarian wave raining down in Ukraine, here, and other places around the world today). Hans was a pioneer in bringing the Moog synthesizer to Chopin and Bach. Hans also served as music director for Chamber Blues for a few years until his death. His late son Felix played cello in an early Chamber Blues line up (and recorded this version of Penguins in ‘94) along with his then wife Lisa Fako-Wurman, Katherine Hughes, and the late Richard Halajian. Interestingly, his other son Alex Wurman, who knew nothing about our penguin project - because it hadn’t been released - was doing the original score for his own penguin project, the Oscar winning; March of the Penguins. LOL! All in the family of penguins. - Corky Siegel