Customer Reviews

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf; Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals

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

 

 

The previous review complains that the CD does not mention the fact that Peter and the Wolf is without narration. He must have not looked very closely. In the left hand corner, it clearly states "without narration". That is the main reason I bought it. The performance of Peter is simply amazing. The orchestral playing is as close to perfection as you will ever hear. Heard with narration, the music sounds trite. Without the talk, it is beautiful. And the recorded sound is outstanding, clear as a bell. The second Prokofiev work is the rarely played "Tales of an old Granmother". It is quite forgettable. The Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals performance is several notches below Peter and the Wolf. Indeed, I found the performance to be on the flat side. However, at less than 5 dollars, and with a unique perspective of a highly familiar warhorse, this CD is still an excellent value. If you enjoy great orchestral playing, buy this CD before it is deleted.

I've been looking for an "adult" performance of Peter and the Wolf for quite some years. All the narrated recordings I've heard have clearly been aimed at children. Besides, if I want to follow the story while I listen, I think I can do so reasonably well without some popular actor or rock star reading it to me. So I was pleased to see that finally someone had allowed the music to speak for itself.

But we seem to have a misunderstanding here. By "adult," I didn't mean "humorless."

I can't recall ever hearing a more wooden reading of Peter and the Wolf. Sure, most of the notes are there, although the string playing in the regional orchestra up the road rather handily beats that of this St Petersburg group for expression, ensemble, and intonation. But in spite of valiant attempts by some of the instrumental soloists to breathe a little life into the performance, our time-beater Stanislav Gorkovenko seems grimly determined to stomp it all out.

If you want your Peter without patter, it appears that you haven't many other choices. Pity.

The first time I heard this album was the first time I had heard "Peter and the Wolf" since I was a kid. The wave of nostalgia was wonderful. The sound quality is very good (important to me) and my young sons have really enjoyed the music as way of following the story. The "Carnival of the Animals" is also a treat. I would recommend this disc highly for your own enjoyment, but also for those who want to introduce their children to classical music in a way that will capture their interest and make it fun for all of you.

Sergei Prokofiev and Camille Saint-Saens have created unique compositions of their own. Here, we have "Peter and the Wolf, "Tales of an Old Grandmother," and "Carnival of the Animals." All three pieces seem more appropriate for children because of their playful melodies and simplistic structures, but adults and teenagers can get a kick out them as well. Prokofiev wrote "Peter and the Wolf" back in 1936 during the early Soviet era. Written obviously for children, each character in the musical story are given their own instrumental themes. The strings represent Peter, while the French Horns represent the Wolf. A duck is represented by an oboe, a cat a clarinet, and so on. Originally, a narrator tells the story while the music plays on. This particular recording, however, omits the original narration, and I'm glad that they cut it out. I don't want to hear celebrity voices (Captain Kangaroo, Patrick Stewart, etc.) during the entire performance as they really distract me from listening to the actual music. It was a good decision from the producers and the conductor, since the text is pretty corny, anyway (no offense to Prokofiev).

In Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals," we take a trip to the zoo. Scored for two pianos and orchestra, certain animals are imagined through musical melodies. For instance, the lion is given a royal motif with the strings and pianos. The aquarium is represented by a glass harmonica and flute. The tortoises have a very humorous theme: the can-can played in slow motion. But the most famous is the swan, which is represented by the cello. "The Swan" is basically one of Saint-Saens' most adored pieces; you'll instantly fall in love with it. I can't say much about "Tales of an Old Grandmother," only that it's pretty much a dull composition. There's no liveliness, no substance, and no heart. It's probably one of Prokofiev's worst yet.

Conductor Stanislav Gorkovenko leads a fine performance of all three works. One can sense a bit of lyricism throughout, causing some of the liveliness in both "Carnival" and "Peter" to be toned down. The St. Petersburg Radio & TV Symphony Orchestra gives thorough performances; the soloists are brilliant. I especially admire the two pianists for their intelligent readings, though I can't discover who they are since the CD booklet doesn't tell us anything about them, not even their names (a big flaw!). Sound quality isn't excellent, but it's well worth it if put in a boombox/stereo player/car.

This disc is an inexpensive way to round out your basic 100 classics collection. The obscure Russian forces and the recording engineers provide a more than competent performance.
For us mature listeners this version is done without the usual child oriented narration. One can sit back and appreciate the wittiness and novelty of both scores.

I have, over the years, owned many copies of "Peter", both for the fun of different narrators (the Sean Connery version is a blast), and for the lovely, whimsical music. Now, I'm no collector or classical music expert,just an avid listener- so I had no idea that a high-quality version was available without narration. This disc sounds wonderful, the performances are great, and the addition of "Tales of a Grandmother" was an unexpected and fresh treat (I'm a Prokofiev fan, and had never heard those particular pieces). Also- the Saint-Saens pieces are also quite above average in both sound and performance, although (for some listeners)perhaps a questionable "fit" with the Prokofiev material. At a much higher price, it would be highly recommended. At this price- a "must buy" item for any fan of Prokofiev or classical music in general!

It's nice to hear the complete musical score for "Peter and the Wolf" without the narration. If I were a child, I'd probably feel differently, but since I'm not, and I'm already familiar with the story, the narration gets in the way of my ears. Unfortunately, the way the pieces are played on this recording makes it sound like it was written for a chamber orchestra -- actually, more like a cabaret band. The opening strings sound out of tune to me. The French Horns aren't nearly vicious enough with the Wolf theme, and when the beast finally decides to attack, the muted trumpets (louder than any percussion instrument) make the action sound more absurd than frightening.

The cabaret sound works much better for Saint-Saëns's "Carnival of the Animals," since this work is really a chamber work dressed up with occasional orchestral accompaniment. This raises the recording's star level much higher.

Finally, although I've never heard "Tales of an Old Grandmother" before, I like how it sounds with this group. This is Prokofiev at his most somber and subdued. Again, the chamber sound works quite well. It is entirely different from "Peter and the Wolf." This makes the recording even nicer: You get to hear a bit of this composer that you don't normally hear.

I purchased this album for my grandson. He enjoys instrumental rather than vocal music. I am sure he will love this but, since it is an introduction to orchestral music for him, I really wanted the narrated version. The buying information does not specify that this is WITHOUT NARRATION. I almost sent it back, but will keep it for the Carnival of the Animals. And I will order a version of Peter & the Wolf that specifies it IS narrated. Maybe that was reason it was not specified on this one?