Curiosity Killed the Cat!: Franz Schubert

Meet classical composer Franz Schubert in this charming semi-autobiographical tale. Travel through time following a charming little mouse called Minim who loves cheese and music. The setting is a lively open-air café on a beautiful spring day after a long, hard winter. Amid people talking and laughing, a strange fellow sits by himself, book in hand, reading a poem about a trout swimming joyfully in a brook. The small rodent spots a scrumptious piece of gruyere on the floor next to the man’s table and is completely oblivious to the fact that it’s being used as bait for a mousetrap. Fortunately, before he can sink his teeth into the cheese, he is quickly lifted off the floor by the odd-looking daydreamer...who happens to be Franz Schubert, a brilliant composer with no qualms about making time for the little things in life! In addition to the illustrated story and introductory notes on the composer, an accompanying CD (and a unique digital download code) features recordings of the narrated story and a performance of the composition ＂Trout Quintet＂ (＂Forellenquintett＂). Part of the Little Stories of Great Composers series, featuring Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Haydn, Schubert, and Paganini.

During numerous seasons at the Stratford Festival, Colm Feore achieved fame as one of Canada’s premiere stage actors, playing virtually all of Shakespeare’s leading men. While continuing his work on stage, he also frequently acted on television and in film. He is especially well-known for his performance in the title role of Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould and for his supporting roles in notable Hollywood films The Sum of All Fears, The Chronicle of Riddick, Paycheck, and Pearl Harbor. More recently, he starred in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, King Lear, Gotham, and House of Cards. Ana Gerhard studied as a concert pianist at the Mexican National Conservatory. She has taught piano for several years and has hosted numerous radio programs dedicated to the promotion of classical music. Her previous works on introducing classical music to children, Listen to the Birds, Simply Fantastic, Amazing Water, and Little Creatures all received a Parents’ Choice Award in the US. Founded in 1983, I Musici de Montréal is a chamber orchestra of 15 musicians that performs a vast repertoire extending from baroque to contemporary. The ensemble has released more than 40 recordings and presents a busy schedule of over 100 concerts per season throughout the world at some of the best-known concert halls, including New York City’s Lincoln Centre, Brussels’ Palais des Beaux-Arts, Tokyo’s Kioi Hall, and Geneva’s Victoria Hall. Marie Lafrance is one of Québec’s best-known illustrators, thanks to her participation in several children’s books, including Le Grand voyage by Monsieur Caca, La fée des bonbons, and La Diablesse and the Baby, for which she was a finalist of the Governor General’s Literary Award.