Сергей Прокофьев

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Сергей Прокофьев

Prokofiev PETER AND THE WOLF



Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, for narrator and orchestra, was a commission from the Central Children's Theatre in 1936. The composer himself wrote the text, which tells the story of a young boy who manages to capture a vicious wolf. The piece is remarkable for many reasons, but perhaps most notably for its didactic scoring, designed by Prokofiev to introduce children to the sounds of orchestral instruments. The instrumentation is also important for the narration, since each character in the story is represented by a different instrument: the bird by a flute, the duck by an oboe, the grandfather by a bassoon, the cat by a clarinet, the wolf by three horns, and Peter by the strings. The entire work was composed in a single week (in piano score), and the orchestration was completed less than two weeks later.

Prokofiev's writing is intentionally direct and transparent, reflecting his desire to make the work enjoyable for children. His musical characterizations are broad and straightforward, from the delicate birdsong of the flute, to the thunderous kettledrums portraying the hunters' rifle shots.

The work is in three sections, loosely following a kind of sonata form. The opening section introduces the main characters, preparing the audience for the action to come. The middle section—the "development"—contains the most exciting action, beginning with the appearance of the wolf, his eating of the duck, and his eventual capture by young Peter. The final scene acts as a recapitulation, as the principal characters return for a final parade; here, Peter's opening theme returns transformed into a triumphant march.

Like most of Prokofiev's music, Peter and the Wolf features adroit thematic integration and development. Peter's theme, the dominant theme of the work, is stated at the beginning of the piece, and is then combined with other subordinate themes. This thematic blending is also closely tied to the dramatic action, underscoring developments in the story. Harmonically, the piece begins and ends in C major, but contains many sudden harmonic shifts, another important aspect of Prokofiev's style. Formally, though the piece does follow a loose sonata structure, it is by no means a case of textbook form; themes develop freely, harmonic direction is dictated largely by the action, and characterization assumes priority over any kind of academic musical construction. (Alexander Carpenter)

Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)
March, Op.99
1) Allegro - B flat major [2:28]

Peter and the wolf, Op.67
Narration in English, Text adapted by Sting
2) Let me tell you a story [2:39]
3) Early one morning Peter opened the gate ... Andantino [0:56]
4) "On a branch of a big tree sat a little bird, Peter's " Allegro - Andantino, come prima [1:26]
5) Just then a duck came waddling round. L'istesso tempo [2:11]
6) "Suddenly something caught Peter's attention: he "Sudde Moderato - Allegro, ma non troppo - Moderato [1:44]
7) Grandfather came out. Poco più andante - Andantino, come prima - Andante [2:14]
8) "No sooner had Peter gone, than a big grey wolf came". Andante molto-Nervoso-Allegro-Meno mosso-Andante-Alle [4:13]
9) "Peter, in the meantime, stood behind the closed "Peter Andantino, come prima - Vivo - Andante molto - Vivo [2:28]
10) "Meanwhile, Peter made a lasso with his rope, care- "Me Poco meno mosso - Moderato (Meno mosso) [1:36]
11) Just then ... out of the woods came the hunters. Allegro moderato - Andante - Moderato - Poco più mosso (Allegro moderato) - Sostenuto - L'istesso tempo [6:37]

Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op.34
12) Un poco allegro [7:54]

Symphony No.1 in D, Op.25 "Classical Symphony"
13) 1. Allegro [4:13]
14) 2. Larghetto [3:43]
15) 3. Gavotta (Non troppo allegro) [1:22]
16) 4. Finale (Vivace) [3:50]

Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Claudio Abbado

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