Customer Reviews

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Many years ago I remember hearing another friend of Barry Humphries', Sir Les Paterson, narrate a piece entitled Peter and the Shark, which climaxed, as I recall, with a platypus receiving a "noah's ark up his blurter". (And if you're not an Australian, or au fait with the Australian vernacular, I suspect that the platypus's plight will remain a mystery to you) So I approached the notion of Dame Edna Everage narrating "Peter and the Wolf" with some trepidation. Some terrible things have been done to the work over the years in the name of "relevance" and I wasn't sure that this wouldn't be yet another jokey updating. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the great lady plays the whole thing remarkably straight. Apart from a "Hello possums!" at the beginning, Dame Edna narrates the work as if she's your favourite aunt, who probably smelt of lavender and perhaps a little splash of brandy. My two year old and four year old children enjoyed the work very much. I also had the old Cyril Pritchard / Eugene Ormandy version, but they both prefer the Grande Dame. As Dame Edna herself says in the notes, Barry Humphries tries very hard in the Poulenc and he aquits himself with great style and taste. And how good it is to find another work for children. The Blessed Trinity of Saint-Sains / Britten / Prokofiev is getting to be a bit of a cliche. The Melbourne Symphony (and as an Adelaide resident it pains me to say this) plays very well indeed. My son is a big fan of the tympanist in Peter and the wolf. Their performance of the Britten Guide to the Orchestra is particularly fine. Here again, Dame Edna's narration is well judged. A very good performance of three delightful works. A CD full of charm and a great favourite in our household. And could I take this opportunity to point out to the reviewer who felt a need to warn the world that Dame Edna is a "female impersonator": Not so - she is the doyenne of style - the arbitrix of taste here in Australia. Far from being a impersonator of females, she is the woman females impersonate.

You have to be bold to make yet another recording of Peter and the Wolf, after so many previous successful efforts.

This is one of the very best, I think. I loved the now deleted Paul Hogan version because of his use of Australianisms,but the orchestra was not outstanding. Barry Humphries has been paired with a terrific Australian conductor and orchestra, and has sensibly narrated something other than the usual Carnival of the Animals, though he did observe tradition by narrating the Britten Young Person's Guide. The Dame Edna narration and orchestral playing in Peter and the Wolf are very enjoyable.

Humphries drops his persona for the lovely Poulenc work, and tells the story tenderly.

Highly recommended.

Dame Edna has entered the world of classical music. In case you have never heard of her, Dame Edna, an Australian, is the hilarious host of a talk show. (Actually, she is a he--think Mrs. Doubtfire, but with an hideously outrageous sense of style.) What makes her a good choice for narrator? In her own words, "I have always loved music and I'm not ashamed to say that music rather loves me!" She also claims to be the reincarnation of Sergei Prokofiev's mother. (Remember, this is meant to be funny!)
At the end of the day, it is the performances that count, and they are great here. Not for purists, because Dame Edna throws in the occasional extra word (like "This is the story of Peter and the wolf, possums"). But in doing so, she injects the necessary life and humor into her narration. It is meant to be light-hearted, and so it is.
The orchestra also does an admirable job, and the recording is quite good. My only complaint is that there is a bit too much reverb on the voice, which is obvious only when she speaks without the instruments (especially at the very beginning of the CD).
My two-year old son used to listen to this in the car, and he loved it.

This CD will be a good buy whether you are buying it for the music or for entertaining your children. Dame Edna is very amusing (in her own right) and is probably the best narrator of any recording on Young Person's Guide, and again, very amusing on Peter and the Wolf.

The orchestra on this recording (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) is amazingly wonderful. They play as full, brilliant, and tightly as any well known symphony orchestra. The brass section is marvelous, the strings are lush, and the woodwinds play sprightly. This recording is a musically superior recording. An added plus is the Poulenc Babar (very rare recording) with unusual Poulenc harmonies.

This CD is wonderful for all ages.

Excellent version of Peter and the Wolf. The CD also includes a lovely rendition of The Young Persons guide to the Orchestra and The Story of Babar. My 3 year old loves it and it gave us something other than nursery rhymes to listen to in the car.

You may not initially think so by looking at the budget price, but this recording ranks among the best of these rewarding works. The Melbourne Symphony's playing, under John Lanchbery, is remarkable; genuinely exciting, tender, and as refined and balanced as the world's best. Dame Edna is characteristically witty in the Prokofiev and Britten and, as her alter-ego Barry Humphries, is delightfully warm in the lesser-known Poulenc. Those who can't see beyond Edna's exterior are depriving themselves of a gem.

You'll either love or hate this - personally, I think it's the best `Young Person's Guide' and one of the best `Peter and the Wolf' recordings available. The Poulenc I don't know so I can only say I enjoyed it too.

More importantly, the children I have played it to have also enjoyed it - although the `Australianisms' were strange to them (We adults can enjoy them!), the sheer enthusiasm of the `narrators' puts across a love of the underlying music. As to the orchestra - good playing serving the composers' purpose and a good clear recording.

Jolly good fun, and repeatable too.

After buying several versions of Peter and the Wolf for my boys I stumbled across this one. Dame Edna is brilliant. He/she is clever and brings such life to the story. They listened, they laughed, and they listened and have been repeating the lines , and the music. Thumbs up, and how amazing that a classic can be improved with this new twist. I recommend this for anyone with a sense of humor and a love for this story, big or small.

This CD has many desirable features. It contains three of the most popular musical works for children, by famous composers, which are accompanied by narration. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of John Lanchbery, performs admirably. But the really outstanding thing about the disc is the narrations. Barry Humphries performs them all. Or, rather, Barry Humphries being 'Dame Edna Everage' performs two of them and the third one is performed by Barry Humphries being Barry Humphries. For many people, his moving narration of 'The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant' will come as a delightful surprise because they have never heard his 'real' voice before. Is there no end to this man's talents? There are only about half a dozen 'celebrities' I would like to meet in the flesh; he is one of them.