Peter and the Wolf

It allegedly took Prokofiev just one week to write the libretto and score for Peter and the Wolf, a children’s tale commissioned by the Director of the Moscow Children’s Theatre in 1936. The fable celebrates the bravery of its young hero. However, the composer also had an educational mission. “Each character is represented by an orchestral instrument: the bird by the flute, the duck by the oboe, the cat by the staccato clarinet in a low register, grandfather by the bassoon, and the wolf by three French horns in harmony. Peter is played by a string quartet, and the hunters’ gunshots by the timpani and a bass drum,” explains the author in his preface. This is a perfect introduction to the art of orchestral sounds.

Coproduction Théâtre des Champs-Élysées | Jeanine Roze Production