Professional musicians gearing up for a six-day festival have had to make an appeal for a piano - but it must be a toy one.

The mechanical instrument plays an important part in the Music@Malling festival, which starts tomorrow (Tuesday), as it is one of the key sounds in a quirky piece being performed six times.

Frankenstein!! by HK Gruber requires more traditional sounds, but also kazoos, a toy trumpet, musicians blowing up paper bags and popping them – and the piano.

Organisers were able to get the paper bags, thanks to a donation by the Chocolate Umbrella sweet shop in West Malling, which has also supplied two jars of cough sweets to allow for children and adults with tickly throats who might otherwise cough through the productions.

More than 1,600 children from at least 20 primary schools will attend four performances of the piece at St Mary’s Church in the village. But the production needs a mechanical toy piano to be played in it.

English National Ballet have laid specially sprung wooden floor for the concerts, choreographing the work – and is sending one of its ballet stars, Daniele Silingardi, to perform at the annual festival, now in its fourth year.

Artistic director Thomas Kemp said: “Building on the growing success of our schools programme, it is thrilling to have performances of HK Gruber’s Frankenstein!!
“It underlines our commitment to presenting the work of living composers alongside the classics.”

There will also be concerts in the churches at Addington, Trottiscliffe and Birling, and an exhibition of paintings by Maidstone-based artist Graham Clarke linked to a concert of words and music, celebrating Shakespeare’s 450th anniversary.

To mark the First World War commemorations this year, there will also be a lunchtime concert on Friday featuring Ravel’s Piano Trio, written in 1914 before the composer became an ambulance driver for the French army, and Elgar’s Violin Sonata, which was written in 1918 in the closing days of the war.

Other events include jazz from James Pearson, artistic director at Ronnie Scott’s.

The festival, which runs from tomorrow (Tuesday) to Sunday, will be rounded off with a family concert, featuring some of Bach’s best known orchestral works.

Anyone with a toy piano, which is not battery operated, is asked to contact Music@Malling on 01732 842368, 07961 764431 or email david.kempkemp@btinternet.com