Maria Newman's Musical Stories: Volume II couples classic fairytales by master storyteller Oscar Wilde with Newman's original score to create an album full of love, longing, and the bittersweet taste of childlike hope. 

The album features The Selfish Giant, for Narrator and Violin, based a short story of the same name by Oscar Wilde, from his 1888 short story collection, The Happy Prince & Other Tales. This story centers on a selfish, misanthropic Giant who builds a large wall around his beautiful garden, rather than share it with the children of the town. The seven movement piece features the narration of Oscar-winning composer, singer, and songwriter Randy Newman in collaboration with Maria Newman on the violin. 

Also featured on the album is The Nightingale and the Rose, for Narrator and Violin. This heartbreaking story, also from The Happy Prince & Other Tales, tells of a beautiful Nightingale and her quest to help a young Student woo his true love.  This eleven movement piece features narration by actor George Thatcher in collaboration with Ms. Newman on the violin. 

To read The Happy Prince & Other Tales, visit Project Gutenberg.

For more information on Randy Newman, visit www.randynewman.com