Peter_and_the_Wolf

<i>Peter and the Wolf</i>

Peter and the Wolf

1936 composition by Sergei Prokofiev

Peter and the Wolf (Russian: Петя и волк, tr. Pétya i volk, IPA: [ˈpʲetʲə i volk]) Op. 67 a "symphonic tale for children", is a musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a children's story, which the orchestra illustrates by using different instruments to play a "theme" that represents each character in the story.

For other uses, see Peter and the Wolf (disambiguation).

Quick Facts Peter and the Wolf, Native name ...

Background

In 1936, Prokofiev was commissioned by Natalya Sats, the director of the Central Children's Theatre in Moscow, to write a musical symphony for children. Sats and Prokofiev had become acquainted after he visited her theatre with his sons several times.[1] The intent was to introduce children to the individual instruments of the orchestra to enjoy music and learn to recognize musical keys.

The first draft of the libretto was about a Young Pioneer (the Soviet version of a Boy Scout) called Peter who rights a wrong by challenging an adult. However, Prokofiev was dissatisfied with the rhyming text produced by Nina Sakonskaya [ru] (real name Antonia Pavlovna Sokolovskaya, 1896–1951), a then-popular children's author. Prokofiev wrote a libretto in which Peter captures a wolf. As well as promoting desired Pioneer virtues such as vigilance, bravery, and resourcefulness, the plot illustrates Soviet themes such as the stubbornness of the un-Bolshevik older generation (the grandfather) and the triumph of Man (Peter) taming Nature (the wolf).[2]

Prokofiev produced a version for the piano in under a week, finishing it on April 15. The orchestration was finished on April 24. The work premiered at a children's concert in the main hall of the Moscow Conservatory with the Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic Society [ru] on 2 May 1936. However, Sats was ill, the substitute narrator was inexperienced, and the performance attracted little attention.[1][3][4][5] Later that month a more successful performance with Sats narrating was given at the Moscow Pioneers Palace. The American premiere took place in March 1938, with Prokofiev conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall, Boston with Richard Hale narrating. By that time Sats was serving a sentence in the gulag, where she was sent after her lover Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky was shot in June 1937.[6]

Synopsis

Peter, a Young Soviet Pioneer,[7][2] lives at his grandfather's home in a forest clearing. One day, Peter goes out into the clearing, leaving the garden gate open, and a duck that lives in the yard takes the opportunity to swim in a pond nearby. The duck and a bird argue over whether a bird should be able to swim or fly. A local cat stalks them quietly, and the bird—warned by Peter—flies to safety in a tall tree while the duck swims to safety in the middle of the pond.

Peter's grandfather scolds him for staying outside and playing in the meadow alone, because a wolf might attack him. When Peter shows defiance, believing he has nothing to fear from wolves, his grandfather takes him back into the house and locks the gate. Soon afterwards, a ferocious grey wolf come out of the forest. The cat quickly climbs into the tree with the bird, but the duck, who has jumped out of the pond, is chased, overtaken, and swallowed by the beast.

Seeing all of this from inside, Peter fetches a rope and climbs over the garden wall into the tree. He asks the bird to fly around the beast's head to distract him, while he lowers a noose and catches the wolf by his tail. The beast struggles to get free, but Peter ties the rope to the tree and the noose only gets tighter.

Hunters who have been tracking the wolf come out of the forest with their guns readied, but Peter gets them to instead help him take it to a zoo in a victory parade (the piece was first performed for an audience of Young Pioneers during May Day celebrations) that includes himself, the bird, the hunters leading the wolf, the cat, and lastly his grumbling Grandfather, still disappointed that Peter ignored his warnings, but proud that his grandson caught the beast.

At the end, the narrator states that careful listeners could hear the duck still quacking inside the wolf's belly, because he was swallowed whole.

Performance directions

Prokofiev produced detailed performance notes in English and Russian. According to the English version:

Each character of this tale is represented by a corresponding instrument in the orchestra: the bird by a flute, the duck by an oboe, the cat by a clarinet playing staccato in a low register, the grandfather by a bassoon, the wolf by three horns, Peter by the string quartet, the shooting of the hunters by the kettle drums and bass drum. Before an orchestral performance it is desirable to show these instruments to the children and to play on them the corresponding leitmotivs. Thereby, the children learn to distinguish the sounds of the instruments during the performance of this tale.[8]

Instrumentation

Peter and the Wolf is scored for an orchestra:[9]

Each character in the story has a particular instrument and musical theme:[10]

Bird
Flute
Duck
Oboe
Cat
Clarinet
Grandfather
Bassoon
Wolf
French horns
Hunters
woodwind and trumpet theme, with gunshots on timpani and bass drum
Peter
string instruments (including violin, viola, cello, and double bass)

A performance lasts about 25 minutes.[11]

Recordings

Jeremy Nicholas wrote for classical music magazine Gramophone in 2015, claiming that the best overall recording of Peter and the Wolf was by the New Philharmonia Orchestra, narrated by Richard Baker and conducted by Raymond Leppard in 1971. Gramophone's best DVD version is the 2006 film by Suzie Templeton; its music is performed, without narrator, by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Mark Stephenson.[12]

More information Year, Narrator ...

Adaptations

Walt Disney, 1946

Main article: Peter and the Wolf (1946 film)
Disney's 1946 animated short

Prokofiev, while touring the West in 1938, visited Los Angeles and met Walt Disney. Prokofiev performed the piano version for "le papa de Mickey Mouse" (French for "Mickey Mouse's dad"), as Prokofiev described him in a letter to his sons. Disney was impressed, and considered adding an animated version of Peter and the Wolf to Fantasia, which was to be released in 1940. Due to World War II, these plans fell through, and it was not until 1946 that Disney released his adaptation, narrated by Sterling Holloway. It is not known whether Prokofiev, who was by that point behind the Iron Curtain, was aware of this.[22] It was released theatrically as a segment of Make Mine Music, then reissued the next year, accompanying a reissue of Fantasia (as a short subject), then separately on home video in the 1990s.[23] This version made several changes to the original, including:

  • During the character introduction, the pets are given names: Sasha the songbird, Sonia the duck, and Ivan the cat.
  • As the production begins, Peter and his friends already know that a wolf is nearby and are preparing to catch him.
  • The hunters get names later in the story: Misha, Yasha, and Vladimir.
  • Peter daydreams of hunting and catching the wolf, and for that purpose exits the garden carrying a wooden pop gun.
  • At the end, in a reversal of the original (and to make the story more child-friendly), the narrator reveals that Sonia had not been eaten by the wolf. Earlier in the film, the wolf is shown chasing Sonia, who hides in a tree's hollow trunk. The wolf attacks out of view and returns in view with feathers in his mouth, licking his jaws. Peter, Ivan, and Sasha assume Sonia has been eaten. After the wolf is caught, Sasha is shown mourning Sonia. She comes out of the tree trunk at that point, and they are happily reunited.

In 1957, for one of his television programs, Disney recalled how Prokofiev had visited, inspiring Disney's animated version. Disney used pianist Ingolf Dahl, who resembled Prokofiev, to re-create how the composer had played the themes from the score.[24][25]

British–Polish co-production, 2006

In 2006, Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman directed and produced, respectively, a stop-motion animated adaptation. It is unusual in its lack of dialogue or narration. The story was told only via images and music and interrupted by sustained periods of silence. The soundtrack was performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, The film premiered with a live accompaniment in the Royal Albert Hall.[26] The film won the Annecy Cristal and the Audience Award at the 2007 Annecy International Animated Film Festival,[27] and the 2007 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. This version makes some changes to the original Prokofiev story, including:

  • Peter bumps into one of the "hunters" (teenage bullies in this telling), who throws him in a rubbish bin and aims at him with his rifle to scare him; the second hunter watches without interfering (thus, a dislike towards the hunter/bullies is immediately created).
  • Because of a broken wing, the bird has trouble flying and takes Peter's balloon to help it get aloft.
  • Peter captures the wolf in a net and then the hunter gets him in his rifle's sight coincidentally, but just before shooting, the second hunter stumbles, falls on him and makes him miss the shot.
  • The caged wolf is brought into the village on a cart, where Peter's grandfather tries to sell it. The hunter comes to the container and sticks his rifle in to intimidate the animal (as he did with Peter earlier on). At that time Peter throws the net on the hunter, entangling the hunter.
  • Before the grandfather has made a deal, Peter unlocks the cart after looking into the eyes of the wolf. They walk side by side through the awestruck crowd and then the freed wolf runs away in the direction of the silver moon shining over the forest.

Others

2007 production, Toronto, Canada

Up to 1959

  • In 1958, a videotaped television special entitled Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf, starring Carney, along with the Bil Baird Marionettes, was presented by the American Broadcasting Company, and was successful enough to be twice rebroadcast. The show had an original storyline in which Carney interacted with talking marionette animals, notably the troublemaking wolf. This first half was presented as a musical, with adapted music from Lieutenant Kijé and other Prokofiev works that had English lyrics fitted to them. The program then segued into a complete performance of Peter and the Wolf, performed as written by the composer, and "mimed" by both "human" and "animal" marionettes. The conclusion featured Carney interacting with the animal marionettes. The show was nominated for three Emmy Awards.[citation needed]

1960s

1980s

  • Ray Bolger served as the narrator for a 1981 live-action version with live animals, directed by Dan Bessie and produced by Pyramid Media. The music was performed by the Santa Cruz Chamber Orchestra conducted by Dr. Lewis Keizer.[33][34]
  • The 1983 film A Christmas Story features music from Peter and the Wolf during scenes of the character Scut Farkus bullying other characters. The surname Farkus is a variation of farkas, which is Hungarian for "wolf".
  • In 1985, Arnie Zane choreographed a punk music ballet version.[35]
  • In 1988, "Weird Al" Yankovic and Wendy Carlos produced a comedic version, using a synthesized orchestra and many additions to the story and music (e.g., Peter captures the wolf using his grandfather's dental floss, leading to the moral of the story: "Oral hygiene is very important").[36]
  • In 1989, in an episode of the Muppet Babies entitled "Skeeter and the Wolf", Skeeter fills in for Peter, Gonzo is the bird, Scooter is the cat, Fozzie is the duck, Nanny is the grandparent, and Kermit and Piggy are the hunters.[citation needed]

1990s

2000s

2010s

  • In 2010, Denver musicians Munly and the Lupercalians released Petr & the Wulf, an alternative take told from the perspectives of each character: Grandfater, Petr, Scarewulf, Cat, Bird, The Three Hunters, Duk, and Wulf. Released on the Alternative Tentacles label.[47]
  • In 2012, ITV used a version of the main theme as the title music for their coverage of the European Football Championships, because Prokofiev was born in present-day Ukraine, one of the host countries.[48]
  • In 2019, composer Lior Navok released Brave Little Timmy for narrator and orchestra (same instrumentation as Peter and the Wolf). The libretto, written by the composer, tells the story of Timmy, whose distant friendship with a wolf saved the latter from the hunters.[citation needed]

2020s

  • In 2023, Gavin Friday, with directors Elliot Dear and Stephen McNally released an animated version based on Bono's drawings on Max. This adaptation, narrated by Friday, alters the story slightly: Peter had lost his mother to an unspecified illness, implied to be cancer. The Wolf has puppies, one of whom reminds Peter of himself, and thus the Wolf reminds him of his late mother. Peter and his grandfather deceive the hunters and release the Wolf. The black and white short film and its theme song by Friday, "There's Nothing To Be Afraid Of", support the Irish Hospice Foundation.[citation needed]

In 2012, the US Supreme Court's decision in Golan v. Holder restored copyright protection in the United States to numerous foreign works that had entered the public domain. Peter and the Wolf was frequently cited by the parties and amici, as well as by the Court's opinion and by the press, as an example of a well-known work that would be removed from the public domain by the decision.[49] The restored copyright per current law is 95 years after publication. Therefore the piece is expected to enter the public domain on December 31, 2031.

References

Notes

  1. [1]
    Robinson, Harlow (10 November 1985). "Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf is 50 Years Old". The New York Times.
  2. [2]
    Morrison 2009, p. 46.
  3. [3]
    McSmith, Andy (7 July 2015). Fear and the Muse Kept Watch: The Russian Masters from Akhmatova and Pasternak to Shostakovich and Eisenstein Under Stalin. New Press, The. p. 229. ISBN 9781620970799.
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    "Boston Symphony Orchestra concert program, Subscription Series, Season 57 (1937-1938), Week 20 :: BSO Program Books". cdm15982.contentdm.oclc.org.
  5. [5]
    Prokofiev, Sergei (1960). Shlifstein, S (ed.). Autobiography, Articles, Reminiscences. Translated by Prokofieva, Rose. The Minerva Group, Inc (published 2000). p. 89. ISBN 0-89875-149-7.
  6. [6]
    "Performance History Search". archives.bso.org.
  7. [7]
    "Snaring a fresh audience using a cautionary tale" by Elissa Blake, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 August 2013
  8. [8]
    Morrison 2009, pp. 46–47.
  9. [9]
    "Scores – Prokofiev, Sergei – Prokofiev, Sergei / Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67 – Score and Parts – ID: 2444". New York Philharmonic Orchestra Archives. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  10. [10]
    Estrella, Espie. "'Peter and the Wolf': Characters and Instruments". About.com. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
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    "New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky – Peter And The Wolf / Nutcracker Suite". Discogs. 1964. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
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    "Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf – which recording is best?" by Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone, 14 January 2015
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    "Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67. audio recording". Columbia Masterworks Records, Internet Archive. July 1941.
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    "Walt Disney's Peter and the Wolf on Records". cartoonresearch.com. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
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    Peter and the Wolf at Discogs (list of releases)
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    Review by T.H., Blade Tribune, 27 November 1960, p. 6
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    Prokofiev, Saint-Saens, L Mozart, Peter Ustinov, Nicholas Walker, Laura O'Gorman, The Philharmonia, Philip Ellis – Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, Toy Symphony, discogs.com
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    Peter and the Wolf (TV 1997) at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
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    "WSO History". Windsor Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
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    "Peter and the Wolf – narrated by Miriam Margolyes", ABC Commercial
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    Bartig, Kevin (4 April 2013). Composing for the Red Screen: Prokofiev and Soviet Film. Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 9780199967605.
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    "The Big Cartoon Database: Make Mine Music". Bcdb.com. 20 April 1946. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
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    Linick, Anthony (2008). The Lives of Ingolf Dahl. Author House. p. 294.
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    "Breakthru Films". 7 February 2007. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007.
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    "Obiturary: Kenny Davern, 71, Leading Jazz Clarinet Player". The New York Sun. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
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    Audio on YouTube, Hans Conried – Peter Meets the Wolf in Dixieland, Part 1; Part 2 on YouTube
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    "The Geoff Boxell Home Page". Geoffboxell.tripod.com. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
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    "Peter and the Commissar". Artist Direct. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008.
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    Jimmy Smith – Peter and the Wolf at AllMusic
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    Peter and the Wolf. OCLC 9045564. Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via worldcat.org.
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    "Peter and the Wolf". pyramidmedia.com. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
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    Banes, Sally (1987). Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-Modern Dance. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-6160-2.
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    "Wendy Carlos' official website". Wendycarlos.com. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
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    "Tiny Toon Adventures episode guide". Mindspring.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
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    Peter Schickele official website. Schickele.com (1 May 2011). Retrieved on 1 July 2011.
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    Peter and the Wolf (1995) (TV) at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
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    The Boston Phoenix Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
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    Public Radio Musicsource. Prms.org. Retrieved on 1 July 2011.
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    "Russian National Orchestra". Russianarts.org. 21 October 2003. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
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    Westergaard, Sean. Review: Pincus and the Pig, a Klezmer Tale (after Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf) at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
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    Neil Tobin, Necromancer Archived 3 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Necromancerevents.com. Retrieved on 1 July 2011.
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    "♫ Brooklyn – PROJECT Trio. Listen @cdbaby" – via store.cdbaby.com.
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    ITV Euro 2012 on YouTube
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    Ginsburg, Ruth. "Associate Justice" (PDF). Majority Opinion. Supreme Court of United States. Retrieved 22 January 2012.

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