Search - Sergey Prokofiev, Claude Debussy, Kent Nagano :: Prokofiev - Peter and the Wolf / Narrated by Patrick Stewart · Opera de Lyon · Nagano

Delightful! Great introduction for people of all ages!!

FrKurt Messick | 10/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you had this as a child (or young adult) you have to have it! If you didn't, you have to have it! If you have children, whether you had it or you didn't have it, you have to have it; and if you don't, you have to have it for yourself...and if you DID have it, the memories may come flooding back. I was extemely surprised to find that I knew all of Peter and the Wolf far better than I thought I did: I thought I'd beeen taken to a "Young People's Concert" in The Midwest by the nuns at our school, which I loved--but that's all I remembered, until I played it now. To my surprise I knew ALL of it. I have no idea how many times it must have been played in the classroom prior to the concert for me to know it as well as I do, but it sure wan't once, and somehow I remember visual aids to the story having been propped up in front of the classroom. Not only was this something of a revelation to me now, but a thoroughly enjoyable one.--and much appreciated, too. And it's a great introduction for people of all ages. This recording is good a good one. Patrick Stewart does a better job narrating than I expected: I expected him to be adequate, but he is better than that in that his voice has more expression to it than I expected--just the right amount. Kent Nagano and L'Orchestre de L'Opera de Lyon do a very nice job. However, other than the title and credits and track listings, there is not a blessed word about Debusssy's La Boite a Joujoux, which is subtitled Ballet for Children, accompanying, and about which I know nothing..They could have provided a little information. However, since what I was interested in most was Peter and the Wolf, then that surely is the least of it."

Delightful performances

FrKurt Messick | Bloomington, IN USA | 10/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps I have the advantage of having a wonderful stereo system, but I do not experience the peaks and distortions that others claim on my CD of this wonderful recording. The only thing I noticed is that my volume had to be raised a bit more than usual, but there was no problem with that. Your mileage may vary, as they say, but this overall is a great piece to have.



The first piece on this disc is Sergei Prokofiev's 'Peter and the Wolf', a musical tale written for children. 'Peter and the Wolf' was written by Prokofiev, but is derivative of an older tale.



This is really a way to introduce children to the orchestra (and was a way for Prokofiev to keep his compositions going at a time in Stalinist Russia when music was legally required to be simple and understandable). The main characters include a bird (flute), duck (oboe), cat (clarinet), Peter's grandfather (bassoon), the wolf (a trio of French horns), hunters (percussion mostly, the timpani and bass drum, but also involves woodwinds), and Peter himself (the strings sections of the orchestra).



Patrick Stewart reads the narration of the story, read over the music and in gaps prepared by Prokofiev. The strains of Peter's theme and the other animals are familiar to children all over the world, and have been for generations, as this piece has been very popular, even serving as the inspiration for a Walt Disney production of the same theme, featuring Prokofiev's music. I must confess that it is a bit hard not to visualise Captain Picard narrating this piece; on the other hand, given the nature of the Star Trek character, this is very much in keeping as something Picard might do.



The second piece on this recording is Claude Debussy's 'The Toy Box', a ballet for children. This is also a well-known piece, though perhaps not as well known at the first. It does not feature narration, and is meant largely to introduce the ballet to children. Debussy wrote several pieces for children or evocative of children, some under the inspiration of his daughter.



This is not difficult music by any means, but the Ochrestre de L'Opera de Lyon under the direction of Kent Nagano have produced a superb musical performance of both pieces. This should be a delight to children and to adults.

"

Great music! Great story!

Eric Roufs | Lakeville, MN USA | 01/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

".... and Patrick Stewart is a GREAT narrator! My little brother and i used to listen to this story/music when we were little, and act it out as we heard it. The Peter And The Wolf story, along with the accompanying music for each character, is FANTASTIC! This brought back LOTS of great memories for me! :> Patrick Stewart does a great job of telling the story, as well. This is a great story for your kids to hear, and a good way to start them into some good music and musical instruments they may like to play someday."