Customer Reviews

Peter and the Wolf: A Special Report from NPR

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a fun version of Peter and the Wolf! My 5 yo daughter loves it for the story and the music, and my husband and I love it for those reasons as well as the humor of having the story presented by our favorite NPR anchors, and commentators. The first time my husband heard it I put it in the CD player in the car secretly and "turned on the radio". He quickly turned it up as he listened to the story, becoming very engrossed and confused by what was going on in the news. My daughter and I could not stop laughing. He eventually "Got it" and we shared several laughs throughout the piece. It makes a great gift for NPR fan.

This delightful rendition of Peter and the Wolf stars your favorite reporters from Morning Edition and All Things Considered. It recounts the story of Peter and the Wolf as if it were a late-breaking report from the Balkans! The wonderful addition of the "Young Person's Guide..." and "Carnval..." makes this a treasure for parents introducing their children to serious music (and a secret pleasure for the parents themselves).

This CD is a great time. The Peter and the Wolf: A Special Report is the most entertaining and humorous version of the piece I have ever heard. The All Things Considered reporters file their news report with all the deadpan seriousness of the annual April Fools Day news.

The psychological analysis of Peter's Grandfather as a product of his generation is priceless. When they mention the interspecies fighting and the fact that the wolf is being isolated so the French Horn won't bother other animals, you know this is a special treat.

The other tracks on the CD are really aimed at children and they lack some of the sophistication of the Special Report. But they are great if you have young listeners who need some classical exposure.

The NPR commentary is very funny, and the music is well done. The last reviewer was tickled by the same parts that amused me.

The other tracks are musically very nice but are not useful for music classes (or for kids who have a hankering to listen to "the lion song" again) because they are each just one long track. This is a great cd if you just want to listen to it all the way through, but it's a big pain to fast forward or reverse to a particular instrument in the Guide or a particular animal in the Carnival.

I expected the introductions to the animals to be hilarious, because they were written by Mr. P.D.Q. Bach, but they were only mildly amusing. (ie. The elephant has a terrible cold, can't breathe, etc. Thinks he's dying so he gives away all his belongings. But he recovers! Moral: Just because your trunk is packed, doesn't mean you're ready to go.) The Ogden Nash poems are much funnier.

Maybe I sound overly picky, but my 2.5 yr old is obsessed and I hear this CD many, many, MANY times. By the way, the Sesame Street video with Elmo is really good. I've seen (or been in the room with) that one at least a hundred times and it's still amusing.

This album is just wonderful, all the tracks are just great. I think that everyone will enjoy it, I know I did.

One does not have to be a regular listener to NPR to enjoy this cd. Since I heard it on my local PBS station, I knew what I was ordering. Liked it so much I bought 2!!!