Maximus Musicus

^{Interview: Steingrímur Teague}

As a rule of thumb, mice aren't particularly welcome in concert halls. There are exceptions, however: Last May, 3000 children and parents showed up at the brand-new concert hall Harpa by the Reykjavík seaside. They were there to witness the Icelandic Symphony share the stage with a character that is arguably the most popular rodent in the history of Iceland: a mouse named Maximus Musicus.

Were he a a real person, the shy and retiring Maximus would probably be flummoxed by the amount of attention he has received since his debut in 2008. The two children's books he stars in are, by now, a familiar sight on the nation's bestseller lists, and have received various prizes and accolades. Both of them have been published in Germany, and the first title also in Australia, the Faeroe Isles and South Korea. In addition to his appearances with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, Maximus has performed with orchestras abroad, most recently the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for a twelve-performance stint in Australia. He has branched out into other media as well; in early 2011, a mobile phone game starring Maximus was nominated for the Nordic Game Award in two categories.

Mouse on a mission

The Maximus Musicus project has a very specific goal: introducing young children to classical music. Icelandic youngsters first got to know the title character in the book Maximus Musicus Visits the Orchestra (2008) in which Maxi wanders into a concert hall by coincidence. By sneaking around unseen, the little mouse eventually gets to know the many different instruments making up the orchestra, and the compelling music they produce together. The sequel Maximus Musicus Visits the Music School (2010) describes Maxi's visit to a music school, where he finds out that kids, too, can play instruments.

Both the text and illustrations of the books testify to an easy familiarity with the world of music, as evinced by the many illuminating glimpses, wacky as well as well as mundane, of what goes on behind the scenes in a large orchestra. As it turns it out, Maximus is the brain-child of two members of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra: principal flautist Hallfríður Ólafsdóttir, who wrote the book, and violist Þórarinn Már Baldursson, who contributed illustrations. Curious about the success of this little murine maestro, we got Hallfríður on the phone and asked her to clarify a few things.

The idea of a mouse as a connoisseur of music seems to sit well with youngsters. How did it come about?

“I had been in the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra for eight years, and had children of my own. In consequence, I had given much thought to how one could introduce this wonderful music, classical music, to children. Once upon a time, everyone listened to the same radio station. This meant that people would heard things they wouldn't have otherwise. Today, however, with the ready access we have to all kinds of specialized media, some children grow up without ever hearing anything but pop music.

“I had often imagined how wonderful it would be if everyone could have the experience of being onstage, in right in the middle of the orchestra. It's an incomparable experience, and, of course, just where I want to be! And one day I thought: What if someone were small enough to sneak around among the musicians, witness the things that take place before we start playing, and then hear the magnificent sound produced by an entire orchestra? Only one animal seemed fit for the job: the mouse is tiny enough to sneak around unseen, but people can still relate to it.”

Maximus Musicus was always conceived as more than a character in a book. For instance, both books include compact discs recorded by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra.

“From the start, I felt that this needed to be a CD and a book. Of course, getting an entire symphony orchestra to record a CD is quite an undertaking, so I went to Rumon Gamba, the symphony's principal conductor at the time. Luckily, both he and Þröstur Ólafsson, who was then the ISO's director, received me warmly, which meant that the symphony committed itself wholeheartedly and spent several days recording music.

“Many others lent a helping hand. The Icelandic State Radio took part in the recordings. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the ISO's Employee Association, and others sponsored the sound engineering, and the publishing house Forlagið published the book. Of course, we mustn't forget Vladimir Ashkenazy, who generously agreed to become the project's patron. His support has often been like an admission ticket to the world. He is one of today's most highly regarded musicians, and having his endorsement is invaluable for the project.

“Last but not least, Þórarinn Már Baldursson joined me to bring Maximus Musicus to life with his wonderful illustrations.”

The illustrations in the books are very memorable.

“They're extraordinary! When I was writing the text, I would sometimes ask Þórarinn to draw specific things, and he would always deliver them with some hysterically funny or endearing addition of his own. The illustrations have such a warm sort of humour to them — a loose shoelace here, a dried-up leaf on a potted plant there... they're alive, through and through.”

Maximus' appearances with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra have also been popular. Could you tell us a bit about them?

“The orchestra wanted me to adapt the story into a concert programme, and in order for it work onstage, some changes had to be made. On the CD and at concerts, the children will first hear the story, with the music woven into it. Then, when the story is over, they hear the compositions performed in their entirety. During concerts, we project images onto a wall while the story is told, and sometimes everything takes place at the same time: Images on the wall, the orchestra playing and a narrator speaking.”

“We're just getting started”

How was the initial reaction to the concerts?

“Before we played the first concert, the book had just been published, and I thought that we had arrived at the project's end. That first time, we had about 600 children in the audience, ages 4-6. Of course, we had often played to young crowds before, and on those occasions there was usually a fair deal of unrest. That's quite natural with such young children and so few kindergarten teachers accompanying them. But now, when we started playing, what we got was was an incredible sort of silence and focus. One sometimes picks up strong vibes from the audience when this sort of magic takes place, and right there, I felt a powerful reaction from all those children sitting there, enjoying what they saw and heard. It was an unforgettable moment, and I thought: My God, this isn't the end —we're just getting started!”

Recently, Maximus Musicus has taken to traveling. As far as Australia, I'm told.

“Orchestras all over the world are looking for projects of this kind, concert programmes for children. After experiencing the reaction at home, I felt I needed to promote the material overseas as well, so I had orchestral scores made, with all the stage directions and text written in, and began presenting Maximus to orchestras around the world. My colleague Margrét Sigurðardóttir agreed to help me with the promotion abroad, and the Icelandic Music Export gave us much support, as did others. We've been working hard to promote this material any way we can, through all of our contacts in the international music community. For instance, a friend of mine in Australia took the book to her orchestra, which led to twelve performances with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and eventually publication in Australia.

“At present, the programme has also been performed in the Netherlands and the Faeroe Isles, and the book has been published in Australia, South Korea, Germany and the Faeroe Isles, with negotiations underway in the United Kingdom and United States.”

Finally, what can we expect from Maximus in the near future?

“Þórarinn and I are working to finish the third book soon. It will be called Maximus Musicus Saves the Ballet, and will feature dance and ballet music. There will be a big performance by the Icelandic Dance Academy and the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra in Harpa in May 2012.

“We're also pleased that our German publisher, who has published both books, is now asking for the third installment, without even having seen the story. That's very gratifying — perhaps the greatest compliment this project has received.”