As we all know, fairy tales aren't just for children - nostalgic adults get a kick out of them too. Not only are they (in the main) stonking good stories, they suffuse readers with a warm, foetal glow, transporting them back to a time before workplace stress, financial crises and, yes, children arrived to stomp all over the primal innocence that was their birthright.
And this is once of the best fairy tales - particularly for the winter months - best enjoyed sat in front of a heat source with a glass of something fruity and alcoholic in one hand (adults only, of course), and an mp3 in the other.
From the pen of Hans Christian Andersen, who, rivalled only by the Brothers Grimm is still the world's favourite purveyor of fairy tales, it's the story of little Gerda's quest to find her playmate who has been kidnapped by the wicked Snow Queen and transported to her evil kingdom in Spitzbergen. Along the way, Gerda seduces everyone and everything with her pureness of heart - crows, old women, reindeer, even little robber girls - and ropes them into the cause. She's quite a gal.
Said playmate - Kay - has never been the same since two shards of glass entered his eye and his heart. But they're not any old shards of glass, they're part of a broken mirror, created by a particularly wicked hobgoblin intent on making mischief. Anyone who comes into contact with any part of the mirror sees a blackly distorted view of the world - and this leaves Kay vulnerable to the Snow Queen's blandishments. Despite himself, he climbs into her sleigh and is whisked off - until Gerda arrives to foil the Snow Queen's nasty plans.
Now, of course, like all good fairy tales, this is a story about the triumph of good over evil, and is derived from a pre-existing source that had been circulating for centuries before Andersen got his hands on it in the 19th century. And yes, as modern commentators love pointing out, it's very dark in places - in some versions of the tale, the hobgoblin, as his designation suggests, is Old Nick himself. But it's Gerda we must focus on if we want to maximize the story's impact - after all, Andersen is saying, why be cold and miserable when you can be warm and happy? And in the depths of winter, amid all the troubles that mortal flesh is heir to, isn't that a message to treasure? Cheers!
And by the way, our reader is the splendid Emma Darwall-Smith. As you'll hear, she's quite a find. Look out for her on future projects from beautifulsounds.co.uk
