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BESTIARY - Contemporary Musical Stories Tales that come to life in a wildly new way. A musical journey beyond time and space. Step into alien, animal minds—hear their side of the story and what they have to say about us humans. Welcome to the contemporary-music universe of Bestiary, the podcast. Keep your ears open and dive into two tales from Bestiary, by contemporary Quebec (formerly British) writer Jim Burke. Patrick Mathieu’s resolutely contemporary music takes you to places beyond time and space, cutting you loose from the world around you and immersing you in a sonic, hypnotic cocoon. Weightlessness, uncertainty, and ambition are the matter of First Dog on the Moon, while Spout the Story of a Whale’s subaquatic score flips back and forth between the vast echoing ocean depths and a raucous Saturday night at the bar. The score — as much a part of the story as the voice of the narrators — is performed by 11 Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville members and the Quatuor Voxpopuli. Ready to step outside? ______________________________________________________________ THE FIRST DOG ON THE MOON Perhaps you’ve heard of Laika, the dog sent to space by the Soviets in 1957? How did she get there? What did she think was happening? How did she feel, rocketing her way to the moon? Experience her journey from the inside. Squeeze into that cramped cabin and share the thrills, chills, and sheer terror of that canine hero as played by Sophie Nélisse. Recorded in December 2020 at Théâtre Paradoxe in Montreal. Composer: Patrick Mathieu Narrator: Sophie Nélisse Conductor: Julien Proulx Original Script: Jim Burke Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville's musicians (Ariane Brisson - flute, Lindsay Robert - oboe, Antonin Cuerrier - clarinet, Mary Chalk - bassoon, Corine Chartré-Lefebvre - horn, Frédéric Gagnon - trumpet, Sébastien Côté - trombone, Catherine Varvaro - timpani, Vincent Séguin - percussion, Robin Best - harp, David Gélinas - double bass) Quatuor Voxpopuli (Antoine Bareil - First violin, Uliana Drugova - Second violin, Amina Myriam Tébini - viola, Ioav Bronchti - cello) Artistic Directors: Julien Proulx & Patrick Mathieu Sound engineer: Musicom (Philippe Bouvrette) Sound design and mixing: Éric Leboeuf Voice recording: Studio Cinélume (Montréal) Production Director: Marie-Michelle Raby