Jak se lov gorila – Psniky ze slabike Pavla ruta – CD

When Pavel rut wrote a Czech primer for first-grade primary school pupils in 1993, he probably expected its first readers to be children and their teachers. Instead, composer Petr Skoumal read it first, and things began to happen. The book inspired him so much that he set ruts poems to music, creating the now legendary album How to Catch a Gorilla, subtitled Songs from Pavel ruts Primer. For more than twenty years, its poetry, wit and lightness have entertained not only schoolchildren. This reissue, released twenty-one years after the original and less than six months after Skoumals death, includes a bonus video clip for the song Sandly. Like the primer itself, the album features charming illustrations by Zdena Krejov, accompanying the texts of 26 songs and one bonus track, many of which have become widely known. The albums visual style is complemented by the animated clip for the bonus song Sandly by Emanuela Frynta. Created by artist and director rka Vchov, the clip draws on the playful quality of the music and lyrics in a charmingly humorous story. Alongside Skoumal, the album features Zuzana Hanzlov, Hana Hork, Ludk tvrtlk, Lubor onka, Adla Bubnkov, Ilona Svobodov and C&K Vocal. Together with Skoumals other unforgettable works for children, it belongs among the finest examples of Czech childrens songs. As rut and Skoumal explain in their introduction, however, the songs will not quite tell you how to catch a gorilla. Rather, they show how to catch letters and notes and turn them into a little story, something cheerful, or both.