"A very special Peter and the Wolf."
Wacky Russian-born musicians add to
adaptation of classic tale
by Fred Koch - 7/23/2007
Chicago Parent online

Do we really need another CD recording of Sergei Prokofiev¡¦s classic tale Peter and the Wolf? The answer is "yes."

Read on and find out why ¡K

PETER AND THE WOLF by Stephen Simon and Bonnie Ward Simon, Magic Maestro Music, $16.98; ages 3-9.

Do you have any musical memories from your childhood that really stand out? I mean moments that you recall so vividly that it seems like it happened yesterday. I have quite a few but one that has had a lasting impact involves Prokofiev¡¦s "Peter and the Wolf," the classic children¡¦s tale for narrator and orchestra. As a young boy, this fanciful story along with the dramatic music cast a magical spell over me. I was simply enthralled by the way the music and the storyline created such a dramatic "video" in my mind. And recently I have had the pleasure of performing the role of the narrator with The Midwest Young Artists orchestra as part of its community outreach program for school children. We also presented "Pedro y el Lobo" completely in Spanish for our afternoon audience.

The fact that "Peter and the Wolf" has remained so popular since its debut in 1936 is a testament to the quality of this timeless story and exceptional music. As you can imagine, there are dozens of "Peter and the Wolf" recordings available with narrators ranging from David Bowie and Sean Connery to Itzhak Perlman and Jos? Ferrer. Weird Al Yankovic and Sir Ben Kingsley have even recorded this story.

So what makes this version so special?

On this recording not only do you get a superb symphonic recording featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra (narration by Dr. Konrad Czynski, aka "Yadu,") but also there are some additional audio pieces that tastefully extend and enhance the story. One of my favorite pieces is "A Russian Peter," a medley of some of the musical themes from the score performed on traditional Russian folk instruments by Trio Voronezh, three wild and wacky Russian born musicians.

In an effort to put "Peter and the Wolf" into some historical and meaningful context, there are also two more tracks, "About the Composer" and "About the Music" that help make this recording unique and different from other versions I have mentioned. I know, you see "About the Composer" and "About the Music" and you think "yawnsville." So did I when I was looking over the CD, but when I played it and those tracks came on, they were both so interesting and presented in such a personable manner that I listened to each one (about 6 minutes each) from start to finish. I am certain that listeners young and old will find these tracks worthy of a listen or two, too.

A trend that you see lately in recordings that feature an orchestral piece with a narrator is to have a ¡¥music only¡¦ track so that the listener can focus only on the musical score. You will find that here, too, and again, it really works because as a listener, we hear things in the ¡¥music only¡¦ track that we might not hear with the narration.

This excellent recording finishes with a "Kalinka¡XDance Along" another Russian folk music-inspired piece performed by Trio Voronezh, which is set up by the 26-second "Invitation to Grandfather¡¦s Party."

Another added benefit to this CD package is the excellent child-centered 24-page program book that includes a short bio of Prokofiev, a brief example of the Russian Cyrillic Script, a ¡¥Match The Instruments¡¦ activity, musical notation of "Peter¡¦s Tune," along with background information about Maestro Stephen Simon, Trio Voronezh and their traditional Russian musical instruments.

Be sure to visit their Web site, www.magicmaestromusic.com where you can hear musical samples and (I think this is cool) download printable PDF versions of "Sheet Music for Three Hands," "Sheet Music for Solo Treble Instrument and Piano" and/or "Sheet Music for Solo Instrument in B-flat (clarinet/trumpet) and Piano." And while you are there you might want to check out some of their previous titles: "The Sorcerer¡¦s Apprentice," "Juanita The Spanish Lobster" (also available in Spanish), "Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel" and "Casey at the Bat."

Finally, don¡¦t be shy! Take a moment and send me an e-mail. I would love to hear from you. Fred Koch lives in Lake Bluff with his wife and son and is an award-winning music educator, recording artist and producer. His Web site, BestChildrensMusic.com, helps parents, teachers and librarians select quality children¡¦s music. E-mail him at fred@bestchildrensmusic.com.