The Mother’s Day performance of Poulenc’s “Babar the Little Elephant” and “Carnival of the Animals” by Saint-Saëns, was the shining star of Canberra’s International Music Festival for this reviewer.

In Poulenc’s adaptation of a French childrens’ story, actress Maude Davey enchanted an audience of ballerinas, fairies and lions, who shrieked with laughter at her rendition of the death of the elephant king.

Pianist Tamara Anna Cislowska showed great sensitivity while playing to the children at her feet. With a light touch, she drew rich tones from the piano, exhibiting an effortlessness and freedom rarely achieved in this work. The audience gasped together at the foreboding hunter’s music, as a small boy slept on the floor and a tiny girl turned pirouettes beneath the unused second Steinway.

When actor James Saunders took the floor for the final elephant dance, his arm used as a trunk, this little dancer stole the show, emerging from beneath the piano to join him – just as Poulenc’s magical star music began, creating the impression that we were all peering into a jewelled music box.

After a brief interlude, Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals” was presented with a poignant new script by Australia’s most-loved cartoonist Michael Leunig. Viney-Grinberg piano duo, Vernon Hill (flute), Alan Vivian (clarinet), NZ String Quartet, Max McBride (Contrabass), Joshua Hill (Xylophone) and narrators James Saunders and Maude Davey all performed against a background of childrens’ laughter – the way this work should always be done. Leunig’s text brought as much joy to adults as to children.

While comparing “crocs with X-ray eyes” to  theatre critics, the strings played ominous phrases over thunderous piano chords. Stunning double piano cadenzas followed the dreams of a cat who had spent all day chasing bandicoots and lorikeets. Maude Davey’s version of a Dugong’s mating dance caused an absolute uproar, and was accompanied by a virtuosic contrabass passage expertly played by Max McBride, with a wonderfully light bow and perfect intonation.

The most beautiful music of the Suite, the Aquarium, was reserved for Leunig’s favourite bird. “With a bit of luck”, he says, “a duck will come into your life”, to and lead you “to wisdom, joy and innocence”. This music is spellbinding – xylophone and sustained strings, paired glissandi in percussion and pianos. All the performers were extraordinary today – the cellist’s poignant rendition of swan music is particularly noteworthy, as it revealed a deep understanding of the harmonic ground below his melodic line.

In the finale, Leunig urged us to join hands and wings and claws in an effort to save the earth, and the concert ended with triumphant dancing, a magnificent tutti in the ensemble, and a standing ovation from an audience of all sizes.

Judith Crispin is a composer, writer & photographer and director of Manning Clark House