Maryushka+and+the+Firebird+-+Tchaikovsky

=Maryushka and the Firebird= //**Music: Pyotr Illich Tchaikovsky**//

View a 5 minute (10MB) video of shadowy extracts from Maryushka's dreams...
media type="file" key="Dream Extracts 2.wmv" =The Script= Long ago, in a far-off land, the world lay hidden beneath the deepest drifts of soft, white snow. Maryushka had ventured deep into the forest in search of firewood. But the snow had fallen silently, covering her footprints, hiding the way home. Fearful of Baba Yaga the witch, Maryushka shelters in the hollow of a giant tree. Pulling her thin cloak around her against the bitter cold, Maryushka falls into a deep and trance-like sleep.
 * Music: Piano Concerto Overture.**
 * [[image:P1190281-1.JPG]]

In her dreams, Maryushka sees a shining lake. Strange birds with massive beaks, and giant insects with fluttering wings probe the water's edge.
 * Music: Arabian Dance** || [[image:P1190282-1.JPG]]
 * //Dream 1//**

The night grows ever colder. Maryushka shivers in her sleep. The lake becomes a house on chicken legs. Baba Yaga the witch is on the prowl. It's dinner time. She smells a tasty child about. Maryushka's dream becomes a nightmare. Dancing skeletons are chased by snapping jaws as Baba Yaga prepares to hunt.
 * Music: Swan Lake Waltz** || [[image:P1190286-1.JPG]]
 * Dream 2**

Maryushka's frightened cries are lost amidst the worsening storm. Her thin cloak is no protection against the freezing cold. In her dream, the forest comes alive. Giant mosses sprout and fern unfurl. Branches and twigs sprout leaves and flowers cpme allive in a magical spirit dance.
 * Music:** The Witch ||
 * [[image:P1190288-1.JPG]]
 * //Dream 3//**

//**Dream 4**// As ice crystals settle on her sleeping form, Maryushka finds herself in the enchanted world of the Snow Queen - a frozen land of icicles, ice-spirits and dancing snowflakes.
 * Music: Dance of the Cygnets** || [[image:P1190290-1.JPG]]

//**Dream 5**// Maryushka is frozen close to death. She enters a world of golden warmth - the Land of the Firebird. Maryushka's frozen heart begins to thaw. The rising sun touches the magical Firebird. He wakes, stretches his wings and folds them gently around Maryushka's sleeping form.
 * Music: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy** || [[image:P1190292-1.JPG]]


 * Music: Sleeping Beauty Waltz** ||

Mryushka awakens to a beautiful day. Outside is a new and sparkling world. The whole forest rises from its winter sleep and comes alive in celebration. Spring is in the air. The storm has passed.


 * Music: Piano Concerto (End section)**

This is a true story, how do I know? Because I am Maryushka. Was it just a dream? All I know is that on that sparkling morning, the hollow of the giant tree was full of glowing warmth, as if a fire had been burning quietly through the night to keep me safe from harm. Beside me lay this feather.....
 * Narrator:**


 * Music: Repeat Piano Concerto (End section)**


 * The End**