Viola Davis, the narrator on this recording, is an Oscar-BAFTA-Tony-Emmy-Grammy-winner, carrying on a tradition of star narrators for Peter and the Wolf.
Recording & Production
This live recording of Peter and the Wolf is from the Hollywood Bowl's 2021 season opener, which was the first appearance before a large, unmasked public by Gustavo Dudamel and his Los Angeles Philharmonic since the COVID lockdown.
Cultural Impact
Natalya Satz, the first narrator of Peter and the Wolf, continued performing the work well into her eighties, and its popularity led to many celebrity narrators.
Composition History
Prokofiev was dissatisfied with the clichéd rhymed verses for Peter and the Wolf, so he ended up writing the tale himself in simple, direct prose.
Composition History
Prokofiev created Peter and the Wolf for the Moscow Children's Musical Theatre at the suggestion of its young director Natalya Satz.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Prokofiev aimed to find a common language with children for Peter and the Wolf, deciding on a story with animals and human characters, each given a distinctive musical motif.
Composition History
Sergei Prokofiev, the composer, wrote his 'symphonic fairy tale for children' in the spring of 1936, shortly after returning from Paris to settle permanently in Moscow.
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