Peter and the Wolf

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

1947 coloring book cover

Peter and the Wolf (Russian: ???? ? ????; Russian pronunciation: ['p?et?? i
volk]), Op. 67, a 'symphonic fairy tale for children', is a musical composition
written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a children's story, while
the orchestra illustrates it. It is Prokofiev's most frequently performed work, and
one of the most frequently performed works in the entire classical repertoire. It
has been recorded many times.

Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Plot
3 Performance directions
4 Instrumentation
5 Recordings
6 Adaptations of the work
6.1 Walt Disney, 1946
6.2 BritishPolish co-production, 2006
6.3 Others
7 In copyright law
8 References
9 External links
Background[edit]
In 1936, Sergei 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. 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. (This was a common theme in propaganda aimed at children in
the USSR at the time.) However, Prokofiev was dissatisfied with the rhyming text
produced by Antonina Sakonskaya, a then popular children's author. Prokofiev wrote
a new version where 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 debuted at a children's concert in
the main hall of the Moscow Conservatory with the Moscow Philharmonic on 2 May
1936. However, Sats was ill and the substitute narrator inexperienced, and the
performance failed to attract much attention.[1][3][4][5] Later that month a much
more successful performance with Sats narrating was given at the Moscow Pioneers
Palace. The American premiere took place in March 1938, with Prokofiev himself
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]

Plot[edit]
Peter, a Young Pioneer,[7][8] lives at his grandfather's home in a forest clearing.
One day, Peter goes out into the clearing, leaving the garden gate open, and the
duck that lives in the yard takes the opportunity to go swimming in a pond nearby.
The duck starts arguing with a little bird ("What kind of bird are you if you can't
fly?" "What kind of bird are you if you can't swim?"). Peter's pet cat stalks
them quietly, and the birdwarned by Peterflies to safety in a tall tree while the
duck swims to safety in the middle of the pond.
Peter's grandfather scolds him for being outside in the meadow alone ("Suppose a
wolf came out of the forest?"), and, when he defies him, saying: "Boys like me are
not afraid of wolves", his grandfather takes him back into the house and locks the
gate. Soon afterwards "a big, grey wolf" does indeed come out of the forest. The
cat quickly climbs into a tree, but the duck, who has jumped out of the pond, is
chased, overtaken, and swallowed by the wolf.

Peter fetches a rope and climbs over the garden wall into the tree. He asks the
bird to fly around the wolf's head to distract it, while he lowers a noose and
catches the wolf by its tail. The wolf struggles to get free, but Peter ties the
rope to the tree and the noose only gets tighter.

Some hunters, who have been tracking the wolf, come out of the forest ready to
shoot, but Peter gets them to help him take the wolf 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 grumpy grumbling Grandfather ("What if Peter hadn't caught the wolf? What
then?")

In the story's ending, the listener is told: "If you listen very carefully, you'll
hear the duck quacking inside the wolf's belly, because the wolf in his hurry had
swallowed her alive."

Performance directions[edit]
Prokofiev produced detailed performance notes in both English and Russian for Peter
and the Wolf. 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 sonorities of the instruments during
the performance of this tale.[9]

Instrumentation[edit]
Peter and the Wolf is scored for the following orchestra:[10]

Brass: 3 horns in F, a trumpet in B? and a trombone

Percussion: timpani, a triangle, a tambourine, cymbals, castanets, a snare drum,
and a bass drum
Strings: first and second violins, violas, violoncellos, and double basses
Woodwinds: a flute, an oboe, a clarinet in A, and a bassoon
Each character in the story has a particular instrument and a musical theme:[11]

Bird: flute
\relative c'''' { \clef treble \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"flute"
\tempo "Allegro" 4=176 \slashedGrace a8\mf( g8-.)[ e-.] \slashedGrace a( gis-.)
[ gis-.] gis-.[ gis-.] \slashedGrace a( gis-.)[ e-.] | d16->( ees des c b8) \times
2/3 {a16( b a } g8->) g-. c-. e-. | \slashedGrace a8( g8-.)[ e-.] \slashedGrace
a( gis-.)[ gis-.] gis-.[ gis-.] \slashedGrace a( gis-.)[ e-.] | d16->( ees des c
g'!8-.) \slashedGrace b,( a-.) g2-> }

0:00

Duck: oboe
 \relative c' { \clef treble \time 3/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"oboe" \tempo
"L'istesso tempo"4=92 \key aes \major \slashedGrace fes8( ees2.\mf->) |
\slashedGrace ees8( d[ des c des] \slashedGrace d g[ f)] | \slashedGrace
fes( ees2.->) }

0:00

Cat: clarinet
\relative c { \clef treble \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet"
\tempo "Moderato" \partial 4*1 d8-.\p g-. \bar "||" b4-. g8-. d-. cis4-. d8-. g-. |
b-. d-. c4->~ c8 b g a | b( a) fis-. g-. a( g) e-. fis-. | g2-> }

0:00

Grandfather: bassoon
\relative c { \clef bass \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"bassoon" \tempo
"Poco pi andante" 4=92 \key b \minor \partial 16*1 b,16\f( \bar "||" fis'8)[ r16
fis] b,4->~ b8._"pesante" cis16 d8. e16 | fis8. d16 a'8 a a-> a-> \times 2/3 { a->
b-> bis-> } | cis4->~( \times 2/3 { cis8 d dis } ais) r }

0:00

Wolf: French horns

\relative c { \clef bass \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"french horn"
\tempo "Andante molto" 4=66 \key bes \major <d bes g>2->\mp <bes' g d>16( <a fis
ees> <bes g d> <a fis ees> <bes g d>8) <bes g d> | <d bes g>-- <cis a ees>-- <d bes
g>-- <bes g d>-- <c f, c>2-> |}

0:00

Hunters: woodwind and trumpet theme, with gunshots on timpani and bass drum
\relative c' { \clef treble \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"trumpet"\tempo
"Allegro moderato" 4=116 \partial 4*1 c4\mf( | des8)->[ r ees-. r e->] r c4( |
des8->)[ r ees-. r e->] r c4 | des8-> e f aes c4-> b8 c | des-.[ r f-.] r e2-> }

0:00

Peter: string instruments (including violin, viola, cello, and bass)

\relative c'' { \clef treble \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"violin"
\tempo "Andantino" 4=92 g4\p-- c8.( e16-.) g8-.[ a-.] g8.->( e16) | g8-.( a-.) b8.-
> c16 g8( e) c-.( d-.) | ees4->\< ees8--( b'--) ees,4-- ees8--( b'--)\! | ees,4-
>\mf( bes) }

0:00

A performance lasts about 25 minutes.[12]

Recordings[edit]
According to an article by Jeremy Nicholas of the classical music magazine
Gramophone in 2015, the best overall recording of Peter and the Wolf is by the New
Philharmonia Orchestra, narrated by Richard Baker and conducted by Raymond Leppard
in 1954. 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.[13]

Date Narrator Orchestra Conductor Label Notes

2015 David Tennant The Amazing Keystone Band Le Chant du Monde
2015 Alice Cooper Bundesjugendorchester Alexander Shelley Deutsche
Grammophon
2012 Bramwell Tovey Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Bramwell Tovey Video
on YouTube
2011 Phillip Schofield Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse Michel
Plasson EMI
2008 Jacqueline du Pr[14] English Chamber Orchestra Daniel Barenboim
Deutsche Grammophon
2006 Colm Feore Windsor Symphony Orchestra John Morris Russell Windsor
Symphony Society This recording has never been released commercially, but is only
available via the WSO's website[15] or at the WSO's gift shop.
2005 Willie Rushton London Philharmonic Orchestra Sin Edwards Classics for
Pleasure
2003 Mikhail Gorbachev, Bill Clinton, Sophia Loren Russian National Orchestra
Kent Nagano PENTATONE PTC 5186011
2003 Antonio Banderas, Sophia Loren Russian National Orchestra Kent Nagano
PENTATONE PTC 5186014 In Spanish
2001 Sharon Stone Orchestra of St. Luke's James Levine Deutsche
Grammophon as part of A Classic Tale: Music for Our Children (289 471 17172,
2001)
2000 Lenny Henry Nouvel Ensemble Instrumental Du Conservatoire National Suprieur
De Paris Jacques Psi EMI
2000 David Attenborough BBC Philharmonic Yan Pascal Tortelier BBC Music
for BBC Music Magazine; a free CD came with the June 2000 issue
1997 Anthony Dowell Ross MacGibbon, director (video) Film of a
ballet performance, starring David Johnson, Layla Harrison, Karan Lingham[16]
1997 Dame Edna Everage Melbourne Symphony Orchestra John Lanchbery Naxos
Records
1996 Sir John Gielgud Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Andrea Licata Intersound
Recordings
1996 Ben Kingsley London Symphony Orchestra Sir Charles Mackerras Cala
Records
1994 Melissa Joan Hart Boston Symphony Orchestra Seiji Ozawa Sony Classical
Hart was in her "Clarissa" persona from the Nickelodeon television series
Clarissa Explains It All.
1994 Patrick Stewart Orchestra of the Opra National de Lyon Kent Nagano Erato
1994 Sting Chamber Orchestra of Europe Claudio Abbado Deutsche Grammophon
This was used as the soundtrack to the television special Peter and the Wolf:
A Prokofiev Fantasy.
1993 Peter Schickele Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Yoel Levi Telarc With a
new text by Peter Schickele
1991 Oleg and Gabriel Prokofiev New London Orchestra Ronald Corp Hyperion
Records The narrators were the son and grandson of the composer.
1989 Sir John Gielgud Orchestra of the Academy of London Richard Stamp Virgin
Classics Sir John's royalties for this recording were donated to The League of
Friends of Charity Heritage, a facility for physically handicapped children.
1989 Christopher Lee English String Orchestra Sir Yehudi Menuhin Nimbus
Records
1989 Sir Peter Ustinov Philharmonia Orchestra Philip Ellis Cirrus Classics
CBS CD 105
1989 Jonathan Winters Philharmonia Orchestra Efrem Kurtz Angel Records
Winters also narrated the Saint-Sans/Ogden Nash The Carnival of the Animals
1987 Paul Hogan Orchestre de Paris Igor Markevitch EMI It retained the
traditional plot but transferred the locale to the Australian Outback. This
recording was withdrawn soon after its release because of unflattering portrayals
of Australia's aboriginal people and is now considered "out of print".
1987 Lina Prokofiev (Sergei Prokofiev's widow) Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Neeme Jrvi Chandos Records
1986 Itzhak Perlman Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Zubin Mehta EMI
1984 William F. Buckley, Jr. Orchestra of Radio/TV Luxembourg Leopold Hager
Proarte Digital Records
1984 Dudley Moore / Terry Wogan Boston Pops Orchestra John Williams
Philips The American release (412 5592) was narrated by Dudley Moore,
while the UK release (412 5562) featured Terry Wogan as narrator
1980 Tom Seaver Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Erich Kunzel MMG
1979 Carol Channing Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Erich Kunzel Caedmon
Records TC-1623
1977 Cyril Ritchard Philadelphia Orchestra Eugene Ormandy Columbia Records
ML 5183
1978 David Bowie Philadelphia Orchestra Eugene Ormandy RCA Red Seal
Bowie's recording reached number 136 on the US Pop Albums chart.
1975 Karlheinz Bhm Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Karl Bhm Deutsche
Grammophon
1974 Will Geer English Chamber Orchestra Johannes Somary Vanguard Records
VSO-30033
1973 Mia Farrow London Symphony Orchestra Andr Previn EMI ASD 2935
1972 Rob Reiner studio orchestra Jerry Yester United Artists Records UAS-
5646 Contemporary version by Carl Gottlieb and Rob Reiner; never released on CD
1972 George Raft London Festival Orchestra Stanley Black Phase 4 Stereo
SPC-21084 In this version, the story is reformulated as a gangster tale in the
style of the Hollywood films that Raft had once acted in.
1971 Richard Baker New Philharmonia Orchestra Raymond Leppard EMI
1970 Sir Ralph Richardson London Symphony Orchestra Sir Malcolm Sargent
Decca Records Volume 5 of The World of the Great Classics series. This
version is praised in various editions of The Stereo Record Guide as the finest
recording and narration of the work ever made.
1968 Kyu Sakamoto The Philharmonia orchestra Herbert von Karajan Angel
Records Narration in Japanese.
1966 Richard Attenborough Philharmonia of Hamburg Hans-Jurgen Walter
Columbia Records
1965 Sean Connery Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Antal Dorti Phase 4
Stereo
1965 Lorne Greene London Symphony Orchestra Sir Malcolm Sargent RCA
Victor
1960s Garry Moore Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of London Artur Rodzinski
Whitehall WHS20040.[17] The reverse side of this 12-inch LP record also
features The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Sans with Garry Moore (narrator),
Josef and Grete Dichler (duopianists), and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra
conducted by Hermann Scherchen.
1960 Leonard Bernstein New York Philharmonic Leonard Bernstein Columbia Records
The popularity of the group's televised Young People's Concerts made this an
auspicious release
1960 Captain Kangaroo Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York Leopold Stokowski
Everest Records SDBR-3043
1960 Beatrice Lillie London Symphony Orchestra Skitch Henderson Decca
Records
1959 Jos Ferrer Vienna State Opera Orchestra Sir Eugene Goossens Kapp Records
Narrated in Spanish and English
1959 Michael Flanders Philharmonia Orchestra Efrem Kurtz EMI Records
1957 Boris Karloff Vienna State Opera Orchestra Mario Rossi Vanguard Records
1956 Peter Ustinov Philharmonia Orchestra Herbert von Karajan Angel
Records
1955 Arthur Godfrey Andre Kostelanetz's Orchestra Andre Kostelanetz Columbia
Records mono recording; has never been issued on CD
1953 Victor Jory unknown Vicky Kosen Peter Pan Records mono recording; has
never been issued on CD
1953 Alec Guinness Boston Pops Orchestra Arthur Fiedler RCA Victor
1950 Milton Cross Mario Janero, piano Musicraft Records 4 78-rpm
discs
1950 Eleanor Roosevelt Boston Symphony Orchestra Serge Koussevitzky RCA
Victor mono recording
1949 Frank Phillips London Philharmonic Orchestra Nikolai Malko Decca LX
3003[18] Frank Phillips was a well-known BBC Radio newsreader
1946 Sterling Holloway Disney originally made for an episode in
the 1946 film Make Mine Music
1941 Basil Rathbone All-American Orchestra Leopold Stokowski Columbia
Masterworks Restored from original Masterworks set M-477 by Bob Varney[19]
1939 Richard Hale Boston Symphony Orchestra Serge Koussevitzky RCA
Victor
Adaptations of the work[edit]
Walt Disney, 1946[edit]
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 of Peter and the Wolf for "le papa de Mickey
Mouse", 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 of Peter and the Wolf
narrated by Sterling Holloway. It is not known if Prokofiev, by that point behind
the Iron Curtain, was aware of this.[20] 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 before the film), then separately on home video in the 1990s.
[21] This version makes several changes to the original story. For example:

During the character introduction, the pets are given names: "Sasha" the bird,
"Sonia" the duck, and "Ivan" the cat.
As the cartoon begins, Peter and his friends already know there is a wolf nearby
and are preparing to catch him.
The hunters get names in a later part of 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 the duck Sonia has not been eaten by the wolf.
Earlier in the film, the wolf is shown chasing Sonia, who hides in an old tree's
hollow trunk. The wolf attacks out of view and returns in view with some of her
feathers in his mouth, licking his jaws. Peter, Ivan, and Sasha assume Sonia has
been eaten. After the wolf has been 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 himself
visited the Disney studio, eventually inspiring the making of this animated
version. Disney used pianist Ingolf Dahl, who resembled Prokofiev, to re-create how
the composer sat at a piano and played the themes from the score.[22][23]

BritishPolish co-production, 2006[edit]

In 2006, Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman directed and produced respectively, a
stop-motion animated adaptation, Peter & the Wolf. It is unusual in its lack of any
dialogue or narration, the story being told only in images and sound and
interrupted by sustained periods of silence. The soundtrack is performed by the
Philharmonia Orchestra, and the film received its premiere with a live
accompaniment in the Royal Albert Hall.[24] The film won the Annecy Cristal and the
Audience Award at the 2007 Annecy International Animated Film Festival,[25] and won
the 2008 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[26] This version makes some
changes to the original Prokofiev story; for example:

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.
After Peter has captured the wolf in a net, the hunter gets him in his rifle's
telescopic 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, who becomes tangled in it.
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 off in the direction of the silver moon shining over the
forest.
Others[edit]

2007 Toronto, Canada production

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Up to 1959[edit]
In 1958, a videotaped television special entitled Art Carney Meets Peter and the
Wolf, with Art Carney as main entertainer, along with the Bil Baird Marionettes,
was presented by the American Broadcasting Company, and was successful enough to
have been repeated twice. The show had an original storyline in which Carney
interacted with some talking marionette animals, notably the wolf, who was the
troublemaker of the group. This first half was presented as a musical, with adapted
music from Lieutenant Kij and other Prokofiev works which had special English
lyrics fitted into them. The program then segued into a complete performance of
Peter and the Wolf, played exactly as written by the composer, and "mimed" by both
"human" and "animal" marionettes. The conclusion of the program again featured
Carney interacting with the animal marionettes. The show was nominated for three
Emmy Awards.
1960s[edit]
Circa 1960, Hans Conried recorded the narration with a Dixieland musical band.
Since there is no oboe in a Dixieland band, the part of the duck was played by a
saxophone.[27]
The Clyde Valley Stompers recorded a jazz version on Parlophone Records (45-R 4928)
in 1962, which registered on the popular music charts of the time.[28]
Allan Sherman parodied the work in the album Peter and the Commissar (1964), made
with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra.[29]
In 1966, Hammond organ player "The Incredible Jimmy Smith" performed an
improvisation without narration based on the original themes and arranged by Oliver
Nelson.[30]
In 1969, American-Canadian filmmaker Caroline Leaf used sand animation to adapt the
work in Sand or Peter and the Wolf, her first film.
1980s[edit]
The 1983 film A Christmas Story features music from Peter and the Wolf prominently
during scenes of the character Scott Farkus bullying other characters. The surname
Farkus is a variation of farkas, which is Hungarian for "wolf".
Justin Locke wrote a 1985 sequel to the story, using the original score. Peter VS.
the Wolf is the Wolf's trial, where he defends himself against the charge of
"Duckicide in the first degree, with one gulp." The original music is presented as
evidence, but then the Wolf calls individual musicians to the stand and cross-
examines them. It requires five actors for a stage presentation.[31]
In 1985, Arnie Zane choreographed a punk music ballet version of Peter and the
Wolf.[32]
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").[33]
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.
1990s[edit]
A 1990 episode of Tiny Toon Adventures titled "Buster and the Wolverine" featured
Elmyra Duff providing narration for a story wherein Buster Bunny and his friends,
represented with musical instruments, combat an evil "wolverine". In this episode,
the characters' instruments are: Buster Bunny, a trumpet; Babs Bunny, a harp;
Furrball, a violin; Sweetie, a flute; Hamton J. Pig, a tuba; Plucky Duck, a bike
horn (later, bagpipes, then an organ, and finally a synthesizer); and the
wolverine, drums.[34]
Peter Schickele (aka P. D. Q. Bach), wrote an alternate, comedic text for the score
entitled Sneaky Pete and the Wolf, converting the story into a Western, including a
showdown between Sneaky Pete and the gunslinger El Lobo (which never happens due to
some local boys' giving El Lobo a hotfoot and sticking a paper airplane in his eye,
and Sneaky Pete's girlfriend Laura rendering El Lobo unconscious with a vacuum
cleaner). It was recorded with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yoel
Levi, in 1993.[35]
In the 1993 Simpsons episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled", guest star Hugh Hefner plays
a portion of Peter and the Wolf on wine glasses.
In 1995, a 60-minute television film was made with a mix of live-action, animation,
and characters from the story designed by Chuck Jones.[36] The film featured
Kirstie Alley (as the narrator), Lloyd Bridges (as the grandfather), and Ross
Malinger (as Peter), in a live-action "wraparound" segment. The version debuted on
ABC on 8 December 1995. This version keeps the duck-friendly ending by having the
swallowed duck pop out of the wolf's mouth alive, well, and dancing as the wolf is
being captured. The wolf, described as "not a ballet fan", grabs the duck again
before being forced to drop him by the hunters. As the story ends, Peter finds the
duck crouching at the pond's edge, shivering and frightened because of his terrible
experience, and Peter reassures it that he will always be there to protect it. This
version even places the bird as a mother, with six eggs that hatch near the ending.
The music for this version was performed by the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
conducted by George Daugherty. The version received a 1996 Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Children's Program and received a second Emmy nomination for Daugherty,
for Outstanding Music Direction. Daugherty (also one of the writers) and Janis
Diamond received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for the script. The
production received a Gold Hugo and Silver Hugo at Chicago International Film
Festival.
During September 1996, Coldcut (a duo of scratch/mix DJs from south London)
released a scratch version of the main theme, included on the track "More Beats +
Pieces", from their album Let Us Play!.[37]
Matthew Hart choreographed Peter and the Wolf for television in 1997, performed by
the dancers of the Royal Ballet School and narrated by Sir Anthony Dowell (who also
danced the role of "The Grandfather").[16]
2000s[edit]
In 2001, National Public Radio produced Peter and the Wolf: A Special Report, which
treats the familiar plot as if it were a developing news story. Robert Siegel,
Linda Wertheimer, Ann Taylor, and Steve Inskeep of NPR's All Things Considered
report on the event against a performance of the score by the Virginia Symphony
Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta.[38]
Sesame Workshop produced a version with Sesame Street characters in 2000, as told
by way of a trip to a Boston Pops Orchestra concert. Dubbed as "Elmo's Musical
Adventure", the story unfolds inside Baby Bear's imagination as he attends a
performance with Papa Bear, conducted by Keith Lockhart. In the story, Peter is
played by Elmo, the cat by Oscar the Grouch, the duck by Telly Monster, the bird by
Zoe, the grandfather by Big Bird, and the hunters by the Two-Headed Monster. Each
character is followed around by a soloist playing that character's instrument, but
Telly Monster's "Duck" quits the story after learning the wolf eats the duck. (He
returns as one of the hunters later.)
In February 2004, ex-president Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Sophia Loren
won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for narrating the album
Peter and the Wolf/Wolf Tracks. This recording was performed by the Russian
National Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano and included Ms. Loren narrating Peter
and the Wolf and Clinton narrating The Wolf and Peter by Jean-Pascal Beintus, which
is also a narrated orchestral piece, but the story is told from the perspective of
the wolf and has the theme of letting animals live in peace.[39]
In 2004, Russian model Tatiana Sorokko performed with the Russian National
Orchestra on tour in the United States.[40][citation needed]
In 2004, the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra recorded a klezmer version of Peter and the
Wolf, called Pincus and the Pig: A Klezmer Tale. The recording was narrated by
Maurice Sendak and featured his illustrations.[41]
In 2005, theatre organist Jelani Eddington performed and recorded with narrator
George Woods the only existing theatre organ adaptation of Peter and the Wolf.[42]
Psy-trance artist Eliad Grundland released a musical interpretation of the work, as
Space Buddha, titled "Land of The Wolves", on his album Full Circle (2006).[43]
In 2006, Neil Tobin produced a Halloween-themed narrative called Peter and the
Werewolf with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, John Lanchbery conducting.[44]
[citation needed]
In 2009, an Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps episode named "Angelina's Musical
Day", Angelina and her friends do a school play of Peter and the Wolf.
In 2009, musical group Project Trio released their second studio album, Brooklyn,
on which a modernized version of the story was recorded. All three members narrate.
[45]
2010s[edit]
In 2010, Denver musicians Munly and the Lupercalians released Petr & the Wulf, an
alternative take on the original story. Told from the different perspectives of all
the characters: Grandfater, Petr, Scarewulf, Cat, Bird, The Three Hunters, Duk, and
Wulf. Released on the Alternative Tentacles label.[46]
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.[47]
In 2013, filmmaker Wes Hurley premiered his short film Peter and the Wolf a
graphic adult version of the story featuring Peter as a gay werewolf-hunter and
imagery inspired by Tom of Finland.[48][49]
In 2015, a recording done on the Walt Disney Concert Hall organ, arranged by Josh
Perschbacher, and narrated by Michael Barone (host of the radio program Pipedreams
from American Public Media)[50]
In 2015, the New England Jazz Ensemble (with the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra)
debuted pianist Walter Gwardyak's jazz arrangement of Peter and the Wolf for big
band. It is set to be recorded in summer of 2015. Narration written and performed
by vocalist Giacomo Gates.[51]
In copyright law[edit]
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.[52]

References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b Robinson, Harlow (10 November 1985). "PROKOFIEV'S 'PETER AND THE
WOLF' is 50 YEARS OLD". The New York Times.
Jump up ^ Morrison, Simon. The People's Artist: Prokofiev's Soviet Years. Oxford
University Press. p. 51. ISBN 9780199830985.
Jump up ^ McSmith, Andy. 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.
Jump up ^ "Boston Symphony Orchestra concert program, Subscription Series, Season
57 (1937-1938), Week 20 :: BSO Program Books". cdm15982.contentdm.oclc.org.
Jump up ^ Prokofiev, Sergei (2000); Prokofieva, Rose (translator) (1960).
Shlifstein, S, ed. Autobiography, Articles, Reminiscences. The Minerva Group, Inc.
p. 89. ISBN 0-89875-149-7.
Jump up ^ "Performance History Search". archives.bso.org.
Jump up ^ "Snaring a fresh audience using a cautionary tale" by Elissa Blake, The
Sydney Morning Herald, 23 August 2013
Jump up ^ Morrison, Simon (2008). The People's Artist : Prokofiev's Soviet Years.
Oxford University Press. p. 46. ISBN 9780199720514.
Jump up ^ Morrison, Simon. The People's Artist: Prokofiev's Soviet Years. Oxford
University Press. p. 52. ISBN 9780199830985.
Jump up ^ "Scores - Prokofiev, Sergei - Prokofiev, Sergei / Peter and the Wolf, Op.
67 Score and Parts - ID: 2444". New York Philharmonic Orchestra Archives.
Retrieved June 2, 2014.
Jump up ^ Estrella, Espie. "'Peter and the Wolf': Characters and Instruments".
About.com. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
Jump up ^ "New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, Prokofiev,
Tchaikovsky Peter And The Wolf / Nutcracker Suite". Discogs. Retrieved June 2,
2014.
Jump up ^ "Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf which recording is best?" by Jeremy
Nicholas, Gramophone, 14 January 2015
Jump up ^ http://www.musicweb-
international.com/classrev/2009/Mar09/du_Pre_Peter_4800475.htm
Jump up ^ http://www.windsorsymphony.com/concerts/wsogifts.html
^ Jump up to: a b Peter and the Wolf (TV 1997) on IMDb
Jump up ^ Review by T.H., Gramophone, June 1961, p. 31
Jump up ^ Peter and the Wolf at Discogs (list of releases)
Jump up ^ "Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67. audio recording". Columbia Masterworks
Records, Internet Archive. July 1941.
Jump up ^ Bartig, Kevin. Composing for the Red Screen: Prokofiev and Soviet Film.
Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 9780199967605.
Jump up ^ "The Big Cartoon Database: Make Mine Music". Bcdb.com. 20 April 1946.
Retrieved 1 July 2011.
Jump up ^ "1957 Disney TV introduction". Peter and the Wolf. 1957.
Jump up ^ Linick, Anthony (2008). The Lives of Ingolf Dahl. Author House. p. 294.
Jump up ^ Breakthru Films
Jump up ^ Annecy 2008 Festival, 2007 Award Winning Films. Annecy.org. Retrieved on
1 July 2011.
Jump up ^ "Oscars 2008: Winners". 25 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
Jump up ^ "Obiturary: Kenny Davern, 71, Leading Jazz Clarinet Player". The New York
Sun. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
Jump up ^ "The Geoff Boxell Home Page". Geoffboxell.tripod.com. Retrieved 1 July
2011.
Jump up ^ "Peter and the Commissar". Artist Direct. Archived from the original on
12 June 2008.
Jump up ^ Allmusic.com
Jump up ^ "Peter VS. the Wolf". Justin Locke Productions. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
Jump up ^ Banes, Sally (1987). Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-Modern Dance. Wesleyan
University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-6160-2.
Jump up ^ "Wendy Carlos' official website". Wendycarlos.com. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
Jump up ^ "Tiny Toon Adventures episode guide". Mindspring.com. Retrieved 1 July
2011.
Jump up ^ Peter Schickele official website. Schickele.com (1 May 2011). Retrieved
on 1 July 2011.
'Jump up to: ^ Peter and the Wolf' (1995) (TV) on IMDb
Jump up ^ The Boston Phoenix Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Public Radio Musicsource. Prms.org. Retrieved on 1 July 2011.
Jump up ^ "Russian National Orchestra". Russianarts.org. 21 October 2003. Archived
from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
Jump up ^ "RNO Russian National Orchestra". Russianarts.org. February 2004.
Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
Jump up ^ Westergaard, Sean. Review: Pincus and the Pig, a Klezmer Tale (after
Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf) at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
Jump up ^ Adaptation Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. for Theatre organ
by Jelani Eddington
Jump up ^ Track list for Full Circle
Jump up ^ Neil Tobin, Necromancer Archived 3 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine..
Necromancerevents.com. Retrieved on 1 July 2011.[dead link]
Jump up ^ http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/projectmusic2
Jump up ^ Petr & The Wulf, Alternative Tentacles
Jump up ^ ITV Euro 2012 on YouTube
Jump up ^ http://www.outfest.org/tixSYS/2013/xslguide/eventnote.php?
EventNumber=3811&notepg=
Jump up ^ Peter and the Wolf (2012) on IMDb
Jump up ^ JoshPerschbacher.com
Jump up ^ http://connecticut.jazznearyou.com/event_detail.php?id=572142
Jump up ^ Ginsburg, Ruth. "Associate Justice" (PDF). Majority Opinion. Supreme
Court of United States. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peter and the Wolf.
Peter and the Wolf: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
Gramophone: Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf which recording is best?
A list of the instruments and the story
Peter and the Wolf in Brooklyn (December 2008)
Breakthrough Films' claymation adaptation (2006) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2
March 2010)
Michael Biel: "The Recordings of Peter and the Wolf" in Three Oranges, No. 12:
November 2006, Serge Prokofiev Foundation; retrieved 23 May 2009.
[show] v t e
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WorldCat Identities VIAF: 265883445 GND: 300121628 BNF: cb13917227m (data)
Categories: Children's musicCompositions by Sergei ProkofievCompositions with a
narrator1936 compositionsUnited States National Recording Registry recordingsPeter
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