Serge Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf; Jean-Pascal Beintus: Wolf Tracks

Prokofiev (Performer), Beintus (Performer), Sophia Loren (Artist), Bill Clinton (Artist), Mikhail Gorbachev (Orchestra), Russian National Orchestra (Conductor), Kent Nagano (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Prokofiev, Beintus
• Orchestra: Mikhail Gorbachev
• Conductor: Russian National Orchestra
• Audio CD (September 23, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Pentatone
• ASIN: B0000C9JCU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,025 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy sequel, October 6, 2003

By 

Neil Makar (Bremerton, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Serge Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf; Jean-Pascal Beintus: Wolf Tracks (Audio CD)

As a collector of Peter & the Wolf, I was instantly intrigued when I heard of this new edition, and ordered it before it was released. Though Wolf Tracks is not actually an edition of the Prokofiev tale, the inclusion of a rendition of the original by Sophia Loren would have made this a must buy for me anyway.

Loren does a beautiful job narrating the classic Peter; her alluring voice and luscious accent instantly making this one of my favorite editions. But to my surprise, the Wolf Tracks piece was an unexpected delight. Not a great fan of contemporary orchestral music, I was not expecting much. But the score by Beintus and the text by Walt Kreamer combine to create a truly delightful piece.

Peter and the Wolf was commissioned specifically as a guide to the orchestra, so musical themes are created for each character and repeated throughout the piece. Wolf Tracks has a different mission. I was unable to detect associative musical themes, but the score is a beautiful series of melodies that support the text perfectly. The text was what really surprised me. I expected a preachy dissertation on ecological responsibility, and surely that was evident. But the sermon was wonderfully woven into the story of Peter, the grandson of Prokofiev's Peter, in such a touching manner that I literally had a lump in my throat at the end. This piece really makes you feel for the plight of the Wolf, and for so many other threatened creatures.

This disk will stand repeated plays for years to come. I seldom pay list price for any music, but this was definitely worth the premium.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Applause For These Paws, September 24, 2003

By 

Lynnda Greene (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Serge Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf; Jean-Pascal Beintus: Wolf Tracks (Audio CD)

Peter and the Wolf, Serge Prokofiev
Wolf Tracks, Jean-Pascal Beintus
Russian National Orchestra, Kent Nagano, conductor
Featuring Sophia Loren, Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev
PentaTone Classics 5186 012

Introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev and narrated by Sophia Loren and Bill Clinton (who will donate their royalties to charities) these two musical stories come alive in familiar voices particularly relevant to a new century. The storytellers here - one relaxed and convivial, the other elegant and beguiling - lend a special intimacy that transcends age and nationality. Apparent immediately is that both understand how to talk to children, with warmth and candor, as if children were in the room. Nothing here is cute, condescending or silly; there is not a trace of the hyperbolic, manufactured emotion so common to most audio/video productions for children now, only respect and the natural parity of storytellers and listeners having a good time. The liner booklet, illustrated by orphaned and disabled Moscow children in tasty candy colors, features insightful but easy reading about all involved, including The Wolf.

The two stories brilliantly complement each other, and yet both narratives stand on their own. "Peter and the Wolf" is well known, but the new "Wolf Tracks" offers an equally engaging tonal world. Like Prokofiev, Bientus crafts music with enough complexity to pull a child in, but not so much that he or she can't find a place in its own richly hued landscape, a place so real they can smell woodland breezes, hear paws in tender grasses. Both, as rendered by this always superb orchestra, guarantee imagination-ignition in any kid's brain within ten bars.

Lynnda Greene
music journalist

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended, January 25, 2004

By 

Chapulina R (Tovarischi Imports, USA/RUS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Serge Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf; Jean-Pascal Beintus: Wolf Tracks (Audio CD)

The classic composition by Sergei Prokofiev gets a new soul and also a new soulmate, Wolf Tracks, by Jean-Pascal Beintus. Both pieces are conducted by Kent Nogano and the Russian National Orchestra (RNO), with all proceeds going to charities. The original tale of Peter's dangerous encounter is narrated by ardent animal-rights supporter Sophia Loren. Wolf Tracks, narrated by former US President Bill Clinton, is about Peter's own little grandson. Old Peter has had a change of heart as the wolves and the wild places have been driven toward extinction. But young Peter simply must capture a wolf for himself! And in so doing, learn what his grandfather realized long ago about the wolf's important place in Nature. Superb scores and excellent storytelling make this recording a kid and parent pleaser! A word about the beneficiaries of this project: Green Cross International was founded in 1993 by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who provides the CD's prologue, intermezzo, and epilogue in Russian. Green Cross, active in twenty four countries, promotes natural resource conservation, research, and education. Sophia Loren's charity, Magic of Music, is the RNO's program to bring art and music to orphanages and children's hospitals worldwide. Each of the colorful illustrations in the 24-page booklet which accompanies the CD was painted by children in the program. Bill Clinton's royalties go to the International AIDS Trust, which he co-chairs with Nelson Mandela. IAT creates strategic partnerships with heads of governments, labor, business, religions, and with private citizens to combat the global AIDS epidemic. So, in the words of the Wolf himself, "Everyone involved, including you, dear listener, has made a contribution to a better future for wolves and all the noble creatures of our planet." A pleasure, highly recommended, and worthwhile!