Peter and the Wolf
Sergej Prokovjev wrote "Peter and the Wolf" in 1936, after having returned to the Soviet Union. He not only wrote the music for this children's story, but also the text which was to be read by the narrator.
The story is about a little boy, Peter, who lives at his grandfather's house. He is locked inside the house because of the wolf and has to watch his friend, the duck, being gulped down by it. He decides to take revenge, manages to get over the wall and helps some hunters to catch the wolf.
Each character in the story has its instrument and a particular theme. Prokovjev intented to write a piece of musical education - a funny story on the one hand, but also an introduction into the special sounds of musical instruments. The bassoon reflected grandfather's grumpiness, and listening to the strings you could see young Peter joyfully strolling around.
The piece was not very successful in 1936; but in the meantime "Peter and the Wolf" has become one of the most successful compositions.
And here is a short video, just to give you an impression. David Bowie is reading the narrator's part.
Alex
Holley
MiMi
mysticmama
Ulla Hennig
Jane Peppler
Dan
Amanda Sage
I love "Peter and the Wolf". A great way to introduce kids to the drama of classical music, as well as the instruments in the orchestra.
It irks me a bit when people do performances where they sugar-coat the ending of the story.
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I just loved this story as a kid.
My cousin had it on LP & we wore it out!
Thanks for the memories!