By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk
Grand Rapids Symphony
In 1936, Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev was invited by Central Children’s Theater in Moscow to write a new musical symphony to cultivate “musical tastes in children from their first years of school.”
Prokofiev got to work and completed Peter and the Wolf in just four days. The piece for narrator and orchestra debuted in May of 1936 and, in Prokofiev’s own words, was poorly attended and little noticed.
Despite its rocky start, this children’s tale has become a classic in literature and music, arguably becoming the best-known, best-loved work ever composed for symphony orchestra to perform for its youngest audiences.
Grand Rapids Symphony presents the classic tale of Peter and the Wolf at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Dan Heintzelman Fine Arts Center at Wyoming Junior High School, 2587 Boulevard Drive SW in Wyoming.
Associate Conductor John Varineauconducts the opening concert of the Grand Rapids Symphony’s PNC Lollipop series.
Local actress and singer Edye Evans Hyde narrates the story that introduce listeners to specific musical instruments that represent each character in the story. The bird is represented by the flute, the cat by the clarinet, and the duck by an oboe. Peter is portrayed by the string instruments, his grandfather by the bassoon, and the wolf by a trio of French horns.
Peter and the Wolf has been narrated and performed by a number of famous faces and voices over the years. Just a few include actors such as Sharon Stone, Ben Kingsley, and Boris Karloff; musicians David Bowie, Stingand Alice Cooper, and political figures Eleanor Rooseveltand William F. Buckley.
Tickets
Tickets are $5 for all seats and are available at the door. Tickets also are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across the street from Calder Plaza). Call 616-454-9451, ext. 4 to order by phone. (Phone orders will be charged a $3 per ticket service fee, with an $18 maximum).
