Event

Peter and the Wolf

Take a break from the holiday hustle and bustle to enjoy this beloved msuical fairy tale with the whole family. Music by Sergei Prokofiev. Featuring the Carolina Chamber Symphony Players Woodwind Quintet and percussion with special guest narrator, Lesley Hunt.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was born in the village of Sontsovka in the Donets region of Ukraine. He was a child prodigy on the order of Mozart, composing for the piano at age five and writing an opera at age nine. His first teacher was his mother, a talented pianist. He travelled widely, spending manner years in London and Paris, and toured the United States five times.

In 1936, Prokofiev returned to settle permanently in the Soviet Union. One of his first compositions after his return was Peter and the Wolf, written in just two weeks for a children's theatre in Moscow. Prokofiev invented the story and wrote the narration himself, drawing on memories of his own childhood. Peter and the Wolf was an immediate success and has been loved by children all over the world. The music is sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by adults, even through repeated hearings. And its moral -- you can;t be a hero if you don't take risks -- delights children, as it must have cheered the composer.

Performers

Lesley Hunt, narrator
Debra Reuter Pivetta, flute
Anna Lampidis, oboe
Ron Rudkin, clarinet
Joe Mount, horn
Carol Bernstorf, bassoon
Beverly Naiditch, percussion