"This cartoon is based on the song "Histoires naturelles (Natural History )" (1906) by the French writer Renard known for "Carrots" and Ravel. The beautiful and funny animals of the rural village may be an irony for human society. The world of the French song is unfolded with gorgeous music and pictures.

This is a cartoon version of the song "Histoires naturelles (Natural History)" (1906) by Renard, the French writer known for "Carrots", and Ravel, one of the most famous composers of modern France.
　From Renard's collection of more than 100 poems, "Natural History", Ravel has chosen four birds and an insect to accompany the song. The work, which criticises human society through its idyllic depictions of animals, is both poignant and full of love for nature and mankind. Also known as "a piano piece accompanied by a song", the scenes are described by a lavishly detailed piano, while the song explains them in a simple, recitation-like manner. The song is a prose poem without a song form, which caused a scandal when it was first published.
　This year marks the 111th anniversary of Renard's death. This year, the 111th anniversary of Renard's death, we have taken this song, which is reminiscent of a picture book or a cartoon, and made it into a performance, a drawing, a cartoon with a performance or a performance with a cartoon. We hope that many people will be able to enjoy the French songs directly.
This work will be published in the form of a comic strip, one song (one story) at a time.


Natural History /Histoires naturelles (1906)
Music by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Poem Jules Renard（1864-1910)

1. peacock / Le paon
2. cockatoo / Le grillon
3. swan / Le cygne
4. kingfisher / Le martin-pêcheur
5. raggedy bird / La pintade


Co-performers
Piano: Masaaki Yasuda
Drawing: Haruna Kondo
Recording: Yohei Koto
Grant: Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music Young Artists Support Program


Profile of co-performers

Masaaki Yasuda (Piano)
Born in Tokyo in 1967, Masaaki Yasuda began to play the piano at the age of five.
In 1983, he entered the Music High School attached to Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and in 1984, while still a student there, he won the first prize in the Junior Piano Division of the 30th Maria Canals International Competition.
In 1986 he entered the Tokyo University of the Arts, and in the same year was invited to the Mantova Festival, where he won the Rinaldo Rossi Prize. In 1988 he went to Paris to study, and after obtaining a higher performance diploma in piano at the Ecole Normale in Paris, he entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. He graduated in piano, accompaniment and chamber music, each with a Premier Prix.
In 1989 he won the first Steinway Piano Competition in Paris, and in 1990 he won the first prize in the piano category of the French International Competition. In 1992 he won the 5th prize at the 6th Marsala International Piano Competition. In 1995 he won the 4th prize at the 24th Senigallia International Piano Competition. In 1996 he was a finalist at the 10th J.S.Bach International Competition in Leipzig.
In January 1994 he gave three highly acclaimed performances at Tsuda Hall, and in July 1994 and January 1995 at Hamarikyu Asahi Hall, focusing on the Messiaen programme entitled "In Love with Messiaen".
In April 2003, he moved from Paris to Tokyo, where he gave a series of three concerts of solo piano works to commemorate the centenary of Messiaen's birth in 2008.
In 2008 he gave a series of three concerts of solo piano works to celebrate the centenary of Messiaen's birth, and has also performed with the late Makoto Moroi in a course on Beethoven's complete piano sonatas at Asahi Culture, and gives a recital every February at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. In June 2004 he performed Messiaen's great Turangalila Symphony with the orchestra at Sumida Triphony Hall, and in 2005 he gave a recital of Ravel's Coupland's Tomb alongside Stravinsky and Beethoven-Liszt's Hero at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Small Hall. She also gave a recital of Ravel's "Coupland's Tomb" alongside Stravinsky and Beethoven-Liszt's "Hero.
She has studied with Akiko Aoki, Reiko Sakai, Yasuko Nakayama, Kasuko Yasukawa, Pierre Leaque, Yvonne Lorio Messiaen, Michel Beloff and Bruno Rigut. Currently Associate Professor at Ueno Gakuen University.

PV design Haruna Kondo (drawing)
After graduating from Musashino Art University, she worked as a graphic designer in a company.
She now works from home, doing general graphic design and illustration, mainly for paper media.
Her works include CD jackets, flyers for concerts and events, pamphlets, shop cards, logos, illustrations for catalogues, etc. Musicians in particular trust her as a designer who accurately expresses their performance images.
She is also active as an artist of macramé knitted goods as PV knot.
You can keep up to date with her work on Instagram.

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pv_design2019

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)