View source for Peter and the Wolf

{{short description|1936 composition by Sergei Prokofiev}}
{{Italic title}}

{{Infobox musical composition
| name                = ''Peter and the Wolf''
| native_name         = Петя и волк
| native_name_lang    = ru
| subtitle            = Symphonic Tale for Children
| composer            = [[Sergei Prokofiev]]
| image               =
| image_upright       = 1.3
| caption             = From left to right: Prokofiev, his sons Sviatoslav and [[Oleg Prokofiev|Oleg]], and his first wife [[Carolina Codina|Lina]], {{circa| 1936}}
| opus                = 67
| occasion            = 
| text                = Sergei Prokofiev
| language            = Russian
| client              = [[Natalya Sats]]
| composed            = 1936
| duration            = {{circa|25 minutes}}
| dedication          = Prokoviev's children
| premiere_date       = {{start date|1936|05|02}}
| premiere_location   = Large Hall of the [[Moscow Conservatory]]<br />Moscow, [[Russian SFSR]]
| premiere_performers = T. Bobrov (narrator)<br />{{ill|Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic Society|ru|Московская государственная академическая филармония}}
| premiere_conductor  = Sergei Prokofiev
}}
'''''Peter and the Wolf''''' ({{lang-rus|Пе́тя и волк|Pétya i volk|p=ˈpʲetʲə i voɫk}}) Op. 67, a "symphonic tale for children", is a [[Program music | programmatic]] [[musical composition]] written by [[Sergei Prokofiev]] in 1936. The narrator tells a [[Russian Fairy Tales | Russian folk tale]], which the [[orchestra]] illustrates by using different instruments to play a [[Leitmotif|theme]] that represents each character in the story.
{{TOC limit}}

==Background==
In 1936, Prokofiev was commissioned by [[Natalya Sats]], the director of the [[Natalya Sats Musical Theater|Central Children's Theatre]] in Moscow, to write a musical [[symphony]] for children. Sats and Prokofiev had become acquainted after he visited her theatre with his sons several times.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|last=Robinson|first=Harlow|author-link=Harlow Robinson|title=Prokofiev's ''Peter and the Wolf'' is 50 Years Old|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/10/arts/prokofiev-s-peter-and-the-wolf-is-50-years-old.html|work=The New York Times|date=10 November 1985}}</ref> The intent was to introduce children to the individual instruments of the orchestra to enjoy music and learn to recognize musical keys.

The first draft of the [[libretto]] was about a [[Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization|Young Pioneer]] called Peter who rights a wrong by challenging an adult. However, Prokofiev was dissatisfied with the rhyming text produced by {{ill|Nina Sakonskaya|ru|Саконская, Нина Павловна}} (real name Antonia Pavlovna Sokolovskaya, 1896–1951), a then-popular children's author. Prokofiev wrote a libretto in which Peter and his animal friends capture a wolf. As well as promoting desired Pioneer virtues such as vigilance, bravery, and resourcefulness, the plot illustrates Soviet themes such as the stubbornness of the un-[[Bolsheviks|Bolshevik]] older generation (the grandfather) and the triumph of Man (Peter) taming Nature (the wolf).{{sfn|Morrison|2009|page=46}}

Prokofiev produced a version for the [[piano]] in under a week, finishing it on April 15. The orchestration was finished on April 24. The work premiered at a children's concert in the main hall of the [[Moscow Conservatory]] with the {{ill|Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic Society|ru|Московская государственная академическая филармония}} on 2 May 1936. However, Sats was ill, the substitute narrator was inexperienced, and the performance attracted little attention.<ref name="nyt" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=McSmith|first1=Andy|title=Fear and the Muse Kept Watch: The Russian Masters from Akhmatova and Pasternak to Shostakovich and Eisenstein Under Stalin|date=7 July 2015|publisher=New Press, The|isbn=9781620970799|page=229|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mbvoBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA229}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Boston Symphony Orchestra concert program, Subscription Series, Season 57 (1937-1938), Week 20 :: BSO Program Books|url=http://cdm15982.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/PROG/id/154677|website=cdm15982.contentdm.oclc.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author-last=Prokofiev|author-first=Sergei|publication-date=2000|date=1960|editor-last=Shlifstein|editor-first=S|title=Autobiography, Articles, Reminiscences|translator-last=Prokofieva|translator-first=Rose|publisher=The Minerva Group, Inc|page= 89 |isbn= 0-89875-149-7}}</ref> Later that month, a more successful performance with Sats narrating was given at the Moscow [[Pioneers Palace]]. The American premiere took place in March 1938, with Prokofiev conducting the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] at [[Symphony Hall, Boston]], and with [[Richard Hale]] narrating. By that time, Sats was serving a sentence in the [[gulag]], where she was sent after her lover, Marshal [[Mikhail Tukhachevsky]], was shot in June 1937.<ref>{{cite web|title=Performance History Search|url=https://archives.bso.org/Detail.aspx?UniqueKey=21464|website=archives.bso.org}}</ref>

==Synopsis==
Peter, a young [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Pioneer movement|pioneer]],<ref>[https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/snaring-a-fresh-audience-using-a-cautionary-tale-20130822-2seaq.html "Snaring a fresh audience using a cautionary tale"] by Elissa Blake, ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 23 August 2013</ref>{{sfn|Morrison|2009|page=46}} lives at his grandfather's home in a forest clearing. One day, Peter goes out into the clearing, leaving the garden gate open, and a duck that lives in the yard takes the opportunity to swim in a pond nearby. The duck and a bird argue over whether a bird should be able to swim or fly. A local cat stalks them quietly, and the bird—warned by Peter—flies to safety in a tall tree while the duck swims to safety in the middle of the pond.

Peter's grandfather scolds him for staying outside and playing in the meadow alone, because a wolf might attack him. When Peter shows defiance, believing he has nothing to fear from wolves, his grandfather takes him back into the house and locks the gate. Soon afterwards, a ferocious wolf comes out of the forest. The cat quickly climbs into the tree with the bird, but the duck, who has jumped out of the pond, is chased, overtaken, and swallowed by the wolf.

Seeing all of this from inside, Peter fetches a rope and climbs over the garden wall into the tree. He asks the bird to fly around the wolf's head to distract him, while he lowers a noose and catches the wolf by his tail. The wolf struggles to get free, but Peter ties the rope to the tree and the noose only gets tighter.

Hunters who have been tracking the wolf come out of the forest with their guns readied, but Peter gets them to instead help him take it to a zoo in a victory parade (the piece was first performed for an audience of Young Pioneers during [[International Workers' Day|May Day]] celebrations) that includes himself, the bird, the hunters leading the wolf, the cat, and lastly his grumbling Grandfather, still disappointed that Peter ignored his warnings, but proud that his grandson caught the wolf.

At the end, the narrator states that careful listeners could hear the duck still quacking inside the wolf's belly, because she was swallowed whole.

==Performance directions==
Prokofiev produced detailed performance notes in English and Russian. According to the English version:

{{blockquote |text=Each character of this tale is represented by a corresponding instrument in the orchestra: the bird by a flute, the duck by an oboe, the cat by a clarinet playing staccato in a low register, the grandfather by a bassoon, the wolf by three horns, Peter by the string quartet, the shooting of the hunters by the kettle drums and bass drum. Before an orchestral performance it is desirable to show these instruments to the children and to play on them the corresponding leitmotivs. Thereby, the children learn to distinguish the sonorities of the instruments during the performance of this tale.{{sfn|Morrison|2009|pages=46–47}}}}

==Instrumentation==
''Peter and the Wolf'' is scored for an orchestra:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.nyphil.org/index.php/artifact/eff6892a-a2b2-4970-9dff-c71df1157753|title=Scores – Prokofiev, Sergei – Prokofiev, Sergei / ''Peter and the Wolf'', Op. 67 – Score and Parts – ID: 2444|website=New York Philharmonic Orchestra Archives|access-date=June 2, 2014}}</ref>
*[[Woodwind instrument|Woodwinds]]: a [[Western concert flute|flute]], an [[oboe]], a [[clarinet]] in A, and a [[bassoon]]
*[[Brass instrument|Brass]]: 3 [[French horn|horn]]s in F, a [[trumpet]] in B{{music|flat}} and a [[trombone]]
*[[Percussion instrument|Percussion]]: [[timpani]], a [[triangle (musical instrument)|triangle]], a [[tambourine]], [[cymbal]]s, [[castanets]], a [[snare drum]], and a [[bass drum]]
*[[String orchestra|Strings]]: first and second [[violin]]s, [[viola]]s, [[cello|violoncello]]s, and [[double bass]]es

Each character in the story has a particular instrument and [[Theme (music)|musical theme]]:<ref>{{cite news|work=About.com|url=http://musiced.about.com/od/lessonplans/a/peterandthewolf.htm|title='Peter and the Wolf': Characters and Instruments|author=Estrella, Espie |access-date=June 2, 2014}}</ref>
;Bird: [[Western concert flute|Flute]]
:<score sound> \relative c'''' { \clef treble \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"flute" \tempo "Allegro" 4=176 \slashedGrace a8\mf( g8-.)[ e-.] \slashedGrace a( gis-.)[ gis-.] gis-.[ gis-.] \slashedGrace a( gis-.)[ e-.] | d16->( ees des c b8) \times 2/3 {a16( b a } g8->) g-. c-. e-. | \slashedGrace a8( g8-.)[ e-.] \slashedGrace a( gis-.)[ gis-.] gis-.[ gis-.] \slashedGrace a( gis-.)[ e-.] | d16->( ees des c g'!8-.) \slashedGrace b,( a-.) g2-> } </score>
;Duck: [[Oboe]]
:<score sound> \relative c' { \clef treble \time 3/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"oboe" \tempo "L'istesso tempo"4=92 \key aes \major \slashedGrace fes8( ees2.\mf->) | \slashedGrace ees8( d[ des c des] \slashedGrace d g[ f)] | \slashedGrace fes( ees2.->) } </score>
;Cat: [[Clarinet]]
:<score sound> \relative c { \clef treble \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet" \tempo "Moderato" \partial 4*1 d8-.\p g-. \bar "||" b4-. g8-. d-. cis4-. d8-. g-. | b-. d-. c4->~ c8 b g a | b( a) fis-. g-. a( g) e-. fis-. | g2-> } </score>
;Grandfather: [[Bassoon]]
:<score sound> \relative c { \clef bass \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"bassoon" \tempo "Poco più andante" 4=92 \key b \minor \partial 16*1 b,16\f( \bar "||" fis'8)[ r16 fis] b,4->~ b8._\markup { \italic pesante } cis16 d8. e16 | fis8. d16 a'8 a a-> a-> \times 2/3 { a-> b-> bis-> } | cis4->~( \times 2/3 { cis8 d dis } ais) r } </score>
;Wolf: [[French horn]]s
:<score sound> \relative c { \clef bass \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"french horn" \tempo "Andante molto" 4=66 \key bes \major <d bes g>2->\mp <bes' g d>16( <a fis ees> <bes g d> <a fis ees> <bes g d>8) <bes g d> | <d bes g>-- <cis a ees>-- <d bes g>-- <bes g d>-- <c f, c>2-> |} </score>
;Hunters: [[Woodwind instrument|woodwind]] and [[trumpet]] theme, with gunshots on [[timpani]] and [[bass drum]]
:<score sound> \relative c' { \clef treble \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"trumpet"\tempo "Allegro moderato" 4=116 \partial 4*1 c4\mf( | des8)->[ r ees-. r e->] r c4( | des8->)[ r ees-. r e->] r c4 | des8-> e f aes c4-> b8 c | des-.[ r f-.] r e2-> } </score>
;Peter: [[string instrument]]s (including [[violin]], [[viola]], [[cello]], and [[double bass]])
:<score sound> \relative c'' { \clef treble \time 4/4 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"string ensemble 1" \tempo "Andantino" 4=92 g4\p-- c8.( e16-.) g8-.[ a-.] g8.->( e16) | g8-.( a-.) b8.-> c16 g8( e) c-.( d-.) | ees4->\< ees8--( b'--) ees,4-- ees8--( b'--)\! | ees,4->\mf( bes) bes } </score>
A performance lasts about 25 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|website=Discogs|url=http://www.discogs.com/New-York-Philharmonic-Orchestra-The-Leonard-Bernstein-Prokofiev-Tchaikovsky-Peter-And-The-Wolf-Nutcr/release/1960460|access-date=June 2, 2014|title=New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky – Peter And The Wolf / Nutcracker Suite|year=1964 }}</ref>

==Recordings==
[[Jeremy Nicholas (writer)|Jeremy Nicholas]] wrote for classical music magazine ''[[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]'' in 2015, claiming that the best overall recording of ''Peter and the Wolf'' was by the [[Philharmonia Orchestra|New Philharmonia Orchestra]], narrated by [[Richard Baker (broadcaster)|Richard Baker]] and conducted by [[Raymond Leppard]] in 1971. ''Gramophone''{{'}}s best DVD version is the [[Peter & the Wolf (2006 film)|2006 film]] by [[Suzie Templeton]]; its music is performed, without narrator, by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by [[Mark Stephenson (conductor)|Mark Stephenson]].<ref>[https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/prokofievs-peter-and-the-wolf-which-recording-is-best "Prokofiev's ''Peter and the Wolf'' – which recording is best?"] by [[Jeremy Nicholas (writer)|Jeremy Nicholas]], ''[[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]'', 14 January 2015</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Narrator
! Orchestra
! Conductor
! Label
! class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
| 1939
| [[Richard Hale]]
| Boston Symphony Orchestra
| Serge Koussevitzky
| RCA Victor, DM 566
| Set of 3 shellac 12" discs
|-
| 1941
| [[Basil Rathbone]]
| All-American Orchestra
| Leopold Stokowski
| [[Columbia Masterworks Records|Columbia Masterworks]],<br/>M 477
| Set of 3 shellac 12" discs, restored from original Masterworks set by Bob Varney<ref>{{cite web|title=Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67. audio recording|url=https://archive.org/details/PeterAndTheWolf_753|publisher=Columbia Masterworks Records, [[Internet Archive]]|date=July 1941}}</ref>
|-
| 1949
| [[Sterling Holloway]]
| Graunke Symphony Orchestra
| Kurt Graunke<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-peter-and-the-wolf-on-records/|title=Walt Disney's ''Peter and the Wolf'' on Records|publisher=cartoonresearch.com|date=30 June 2020|access-date=9 April 2021}}</ref>
| RCA Victor, WY 386
| Set of 2 vinyl 10" discs, together with a Little Nipper Storybook from Disney; originally made for [[Peter and the Wolf (1946 film)|an episode]] in the 1946 film ''[[Make Mine Music]]''
|-
|1949
| Frank Phillips
| [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| [[Nikolai Malko]]
| London Records,<br/>LPS 151<ref>{{Discogs master|717109|Peter and the Wolf|type=album}}</ref>
| Frank Phillips was a well-known [[BBC Radio]] newsreader
|-
|1950
| [[Eleanor Roosevelt]]
| Boston Symphony Orchestra
| [[Serge Koussevitzky]]
| [[RCA Victor Red Seal]],<br/>LM 45
| mono recording; never reissued on CD
|-
|1950
| [[Milton Cross]]
| Lucy Brown, piano
|
| [[Musicraft Records]],<br/>M 65
| 4 [[shellac]] 10" 78-rpm discs
|-
| 1953
| [[Alec Guinness]]
| [[Boston Pops Orchestra]]
| [[Arthur Fiedler]]
| [[RCA Victor Red Seal]],<br/>LM 1761
|
|-
| 1953
| [[Victor Jory]]
| Peter Pan Orchestra
| Vicky Kosen
| [[Peter Pan Records]]
| mono recording; has never been issued on CD
|-
| 1954
|[[Richard Hale]]
|Boston Pops Orchestra
|[[Arthur Fiedler]]
|[[RCA Victor Red Seal]]<br/> LM 1803
|-
|1955
| [[Henry Morgan (humorist)|Henry Morgan]]
| Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
| Otto Ackermann
| Concert Hall, MMS 88E
| The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra is named on this record "Concert Hall Symphony Orchestra".
|-
| 1955
| [[Arthur Godfrey]]
| Andre Kostelanetz's Orchestra
| [[Andre Kostelanetz]]
| [[Columbia Records]]
| mono recording; has never been issued on CD
|-
| 1955
| [[Brandon deWilde]]
| Pro Musica Symphony, Vienna
| [[Hans Swarowsky]]
| [[Vox Records]]
| PL9280 (mono), STPL59280 (stereo). Matrix VS3076
|-
| 1956
| [[Peter Ustinov]]
| [[Philharmonia Orchestra]]
| [[Herbert von Karajan]]
| [[Angel Records]]
|
|-
| 1957
| [[Cyril Ritchard]]
| [[Philadelphia Orchestra]]
| [[Eugene Ormandy]]
| [[Columbia Records]],<br/>ML 5183
|
|-
| 1957
| [[Boris Karloff]]
| [[Vienna State Opera]] Orchestra
| [[Mario Rossi (conductor)|Mario Rossi]]
| [[Vanguard Records]]
|
|-
| 1959
| [[Michael Flanders]]
| [[Philharmonia Orchestra]]
| [[Efrem Kurtz]]
| [[EMI Records]]
|
|-
| 1959
| [[José Ferrer]]
| [[Vienna State Opera]] Orchestra
| [[Eugene Aynsley Goossens|Sir Eugene Goossens]]
| [[Kapp Records]]
| Narrated in Spanish and English
|-
| 1959
| [[Richard Attenborough]]
| Philharmonia of Hamburg
| [[Hans-Jürgen Walter]]
| [[World Record Club]],<br/>SC-28
|
|-
| 1960
| [[Beatrice Lillie]]
| London Symphony Orchestra
| [[Skitch Henderson]]
| Decca Records
|
|-
| 1960
| [[Bob Keeshan|Captain Kangaroo]]
| [[New York Philharmonic|Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York]]
| [[Leopold Stokowski]]
| [[Everest Records]],<br/>SDBR-3043
|
|-
| 1960
| [[Leonard Bernstein]]
| [[New York Philharmonic]]
| [[Leonard Bernstein]]
| Columbia Records
| The popularity of the group's televised [[Young People's Concerts]] made this an auspicious release. In the French release the narrator is Alban Liebl, in the German Matthias Ernst Holzmann and in the Portuguese [[Roberto Carlos (singer)|Roberto Carlos]].
|-
| 1960
| [[Garry Moore]]
| [[London Philharmonic Orchestra|Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of London]]
| [[Artur Rodziński]]
| Whitehall,<br/>XWN 18525<ref>[https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=BT19601127.1.18&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 Review] by T.H., ''Blade Tribune'', 27 November 1960, p. 6</ref>
| The reverse side of this 12-inch LP record also features ''[[The Carnival of the Animals]]'' by [[Camille Saint-Saëns|Saint-Saëns]] with Garry Moore (narrator), Josef and Grete Dichler (duopianists), and the [[Vienna State Opera]] Orchestra conducted by [[Hermann Scherchen]].
|-
|1961
| [[Carlos Pellicer]]
| Orquesta Sinfónica de México
| [[Carlos Chávez]]
| Mexican Columbia,<br/>MC 1360
|
|-
|1962
| [[Kenneth Horne]]
| [[Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| [[Otto Ackermann (conductor)|Otto Ackermann]]
| [[Concert Hall Society|Concert Hall]], CM 88E
|
|-
|1963
| [[Alec Clunes]]
| [[French National Orchestra]]
| [[Lorin Maazel]]
| [[Deutsche Grammophon]]
| In the French release the narrator is [[Madeleine Renaud]], in the German [[Mathias Wieman]], in the Italian [[Eduardo De Filippo]], in the Spanish [[Juan Pulido]] and in the Japanese [[Tetsuko Kuroyanagi]].
|-
|1963
| [[Eric Shilling]]
| [[Czech Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| [[Karel Ančerl]]
| [[Supraphon]]<br/> SU3676-2
|
|-
| 1965
| [[Lorne Greene]]
| London Symphony Orchestra
| Sir Malcolm Sargent
| [[RCA Victor Red Seal]]<br/> LSC 2783
|
|-
| 1965
| [[Sean Connery]]
| Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
| [[Antal Doráti]]
| Phase 4 Stereo
|-
| 1967
| [[Eric Robinson (conductor)|Eric Robinson]]
| [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| [[James Walker (conductor)|James Walker]]
| [[Reader's Digest]],<br/>RD4-710-1
|
|-
| 1968
| [[Robie Lester]]
| [[Munich Symphony Orchestra|Graunke Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[Kurt Graunke]]
| [[Disneyland Records|Disneyland]]
| originally from the 1946 film ''[[Make Mine Music]]''
|-
| 1969
| [[Paul Daneman]]
| The Little Symphony Of London
| Arthur Davison
| [[Music for Pleasure (record label)|Music for Pleasure]]
|The reverse side of this recording is Sleigh Ride (dance 3 of [[Three German Dances]] by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]), and [[Toy Symphony]] (generally attributed to [[Leopold Mozart]]).
|-
| 1970
| Sir [[Ralph Richardson]]
| London Symphony Orchestra
| Sir [[Malcolm Sargent]]
| [[Decca Records]]
| Volume 5 of ''The World of the Great Classics'' series. This version is praised in various editions of ''[[The Stereo Record Guide]]'' as the finest recording and narration of the work ever made.
|-
| 1971
| [[Richard Baker (broadcaster)|Richard Baker]]
| [[Philharmonia Orchestra|New Philharmonia Orchestra]]
| [[Raymond Leppard]]
| EMI
|
|-
| 1972
| [[George Raft]]
| [[London Festival Orchestra]]
| [[Stanley Black]]
| [[Phase 4 Stereo]],<br/>SPC-21084
| In this version, the story is reformulated as a gangster tale in the style of the Hollywood films that Raft had once acted in.
|-
| 1972
| [[Rob Reiner]]
| studio orchestra
| [[Jerry Yester]]
| [[United Artists Records]],<br/>UAS-5646
| Contemporary version by [[Carl Gottlieb]] and [[Rob Reiner]]; never released on CD
|-
| 1973
| [[Mia Farrow]]
| London Symphony Orchestra
| [[André Previn]]
| EMI, ASD 2935
|
|-
| 1973
| [[Alec McCowen]]
| [[Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra]]
| [[Bernard Haitink]]
| [[Philips Records]],<br/>6599 436
| The German release featured [[Hermann Prey]] as narrator.
|-
| 1974
| [[Will Geer]]
| [[English Chamber Orchestra]]
| Johannes Somary
| [[Vanguard Records]],<br/>VSO-30033
|
|-
| 1975
| [[Vivian Stanshall|Viv Stanshall]]
| various rock musicians, including [[Manfred Mann (musician)|Manfred Mann]], [[Gary Moore]], [[Phil Collins]], [[Brian Eno]], [[Gary Brooker]], [[Bill Bruford]], [[Cozy Powell]], [[Chris Spedding]], [[Alvin Lee]], and [[Julie Tippett]]
|
| [[Esoteric Recordings]] (remastered and re-released November 2021 as ECLEC2781)
| Billed as a 'rock version' of Prokofiev's work
|-
| 1975
| [[Hermione Gingold]]
| [[Vienna Philharmonic]] Orchestra
| [[Karl Böhm]]
| Deutsche&nbsp;Grammophon
| The original German LP release featured [[Karlheinz Böhm]] as narrator (2530 587). The UK, and Australian releases featured Hermione Gingold (2530 588). The French release featured narrator [[Jean Richard (actor)|Jean Richard]] (2530 640).
|-
| 1977
| [[Angela Rippon]]
| Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
| [[Owain Arwel Hughes]]
| Enigma Records Limited, K 53553
|
|-
| 1978
| [[David Bowie]]
| Philadelphia Orchestra
| Eugene Ormandy
| [[RCA Red Seal]]
| Bowie's [[David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf|recording]] reached number 136 on the US Pop Albums chart.
|-
| 1979
| [[Carol Channing]]
| Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
| Erich Kunzel
| [[Caedmon Audio|Caedmon Records]],<br/>TC-1623
|
|-
| 1980
| [[Tom Seaver]]
| [[Cincinnati Pops Orchestra]]
| [[Erich Kunzel]]
| [[Mosley Music Group|MMG]]
|
|-
| 1984
| [[Dudley Moore]],<br/>[[Terry Wogan]]
| [[Boston Pops Orchestra]]
| [[John Williams]]
| [[Philips]]
| The American release (412 559–2) was narrated by Dudley Moore, while the UK release (412 556–2) featured Terry Wogan as narrator.
|-
| 1984
| [[William F. Buckley Jr.]]
| [[RTL Orchestra]] Luxembourg
| [[Leopold Hager]]
| Proarte Digital Records
|
|-
| 1986
| [[Itzhak Perlman]]
| [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| [[Zubin Mehta]]
| [[EMI]]
| EMI/Angel also released an LP and later a CD with Perlman narrating in Hebrew.
|-
| 1987
| [[André Previn]]
| [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| [[André Previn]]
| [[Telarc]],<br/>CD 80126
|
|-
| 1987
| [[Lina Prokofiev]]
| [[Royal Scottish National Orchestra]]
| [[Neeme Järvi]]
| [[Chandos Records]],<br/>ABRD 1221
| Lina Prokofiev was Sergei Prokofiev's first wife
|-
| 1987
| [[Paul Hogan]]
| [[Orchestre de Paris]]
| [[Igor Markevitch]]
| EMI
| It retained the traditional plot but transferred the locale to the Australian Outback. This recording was withdrawn soon after its release because of unflattering portrayals of Australia's [[Australian Aborigines|aboriginal]] people and is now considered "out of print".
|-
|1988
| [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]
| LSI Philharmonic
| [[Wendy Carlos]]
| [[Sony Music|CBS Records]]
| Released as an [[Peter & the Wolf ("Weird Al" Yankovic & Wendy Carlos album)|orchestral comic adaptation]] of the story, narrated by "Weird Al" Yankovic. This also features "The Carnival of the Animals – Part Two", a parody of ''[[The Carnival of the Animals]]''.
|-
| 1989
| [[Jonathan Winters]]
| Philharmonia Orchestra
| [[Efrem Kurtz]]
| [[Angel Records]]
|
|-
| 1989
| Sir [[Peter Ustinov]]
| [[Philharmonia Orchestra]]
| Philip Ellis
| Cirrus Classics,<br/>{{Nowrap|CRS CD 105}}<ref>[https://www.discogs.com/Prokofiev-Saint-Saens-L-Mozart-Peter-Ustinov-Nicholas-Walker-2-Laura-OGormanPhilharmonia-Philip-Elli/release/4745510 Prokofiev, Saint-Saens, L Mozart, Peter Ustinov, Nicholas Walker, Laura O'Gorman, The Philharmonia, Philip Ellis – ''Peter and the Wolf'', ''Carnival of the Animals'', ''Toy Symphony''], discogs.com</ref>
|
|-
| 1989
| [[Jeremy Nicholas (writer)|Jeremy Nicholas]]
| [[Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[Ondrej Lenárd]] 
| [[Naxos Records]]
|-
| 1989
| [[Christopher Lee]]
| English String Orchestra
| Sir [[Yehudi Menuhin]]
| [[Nimbus Records]]
|
|-
| 1989
| Sir [[John Gielgud]]
| Orchestra of the [[London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art|Academy of London]]
| Richard Stamp
| [[EMI Classics|Virgin Classics]]
| Sir John's royalties for this recording were donated to The League of Friends of Charity Heritage, a facility for physically handicapped children.
|-
| 1989
| [[Noni Hazlehurst]]
| [[Sydney Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[Stuart Challender]]
| [[ABC Music|ABC Records]]
| Hazlehurst also narrated the Saint-Saëns/[[Ogden Nash]] ''[[The Carnival of the Animals]]'' on the same album
|-
| 1990
| [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]
| [[Chamber Orchestra of Europe]]
| [[Claudio Abbado]]
| Deutsche Grammophon
| CD, EAN 0028942939622. This was used in 1993 as the soundtrack to the television special ''Peter and the Wolf: A Prokofiev Fantasy''. The French release features [[Charles Aznavour]] as narrator, the Italian [[Roberto Benigni]], the Spanish [[José Carreras]], the German [[Barbara Sukowa]] (EAN 0028942939424).
|-
| 1991
| Oleg and Gabriel Prokofiev
| [[New London Orchestra]]
| [[Ronald Corp]]
| [[Hyperion Records]]
| The narrators were the son and grandson of the composer.
|-
| 1991
| [[Dom DeLuise]]
| [[The Little Orchestra Society]]
| Dino Anagnost
| Musicmasters Classics,<br/>MMD 67067
| This was part of the album called "Three Children's Classics".
|-
| 1991
| [[Jack Lemmon]]
| Prague Festival Orchestra
| Pavel Urbanek
| [[Delta Entertainment Corporation|Delta/Laserlight]]
| CD, EAN 0018111538626
|-
| 1993
| [[Peter Schickele]]
| [[Atlanta Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[Yoel Levi]]
| Telarc
| With a new text by Peter Schickele.
|-
| 1994
| [[Patrick Stewart]]
| Orchestra of the [[Opéra National de Lyon]]
| Kent Nagano
| [[Erato Records|Erato]]
|
|-
| 1994
| [[Melissa Joan Hart]]
| [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[Seiji Ozawa]]
| [[Sony Masterworks|Sony Classical]]
| Hart was in her "Clarissa" persona from the [[Nickelodeon]] television series ''[[Clarissa Explains It All]]''.
|-
| 1994
| Sir [[John Gielgud]]
| Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
| Andrea Licata
| Intersound Recordings
|
|-
| 1995
| [[Kirstie Alley]]
| [[RCA Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[George Daugherty]]
| Sony Masterworks
| From the [[Chuck Jones]] TV special ''[[Peter and the Wolf (TV special)|Peter and the Wolf]]''
|-
| 1996
| [[Ben Kingsley]]
| [[London Symphony Orchestra]]
| Sir [[Charles Mackerras]]
| Cala Records
|
|-
| 1997
| [[Dame Edna Everage]]
| [[Melbourne Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[John Lanchbery]]
| [[Naxos Records]]
|
|-
| 1997
| [[Anthony Dowell]]
|
| [[Ross MacGibbon]], director (video)
|
| Film of a ballet performance, starring David Johnson, [[Layla Harrison]], Karan Lingham<ref name=IMDb0380625>{{IMDb title|qid=Q129715579|id=tt0380625|title=Peter and the Wolf|description=(TV 1997)}}</ref>
|-
| 2000
| [[David Attenborough]]
| [[BBC Philharmonic]]
| [[Yan Pascal Tortelier]]
| [[BBC Music]]
| for ''[[BBC Music Magazine]]''; a free CD came with the June 2000 issue
|-
| 2000
| [[Lenny Henry]]
| Nouvel Ensemble Instrumental Du [[Conservatoire de Paris|Conservatoire National Supérieur De Paris]]
| Jacques Pési
| EMI
|
|-
| 2001
| [[Sharon Stone]]
| [[Orchestra of St. Luke's]]
| [[James Levine]]
| Deutsche Grammophon
| as part of ''A Classic Tale: Music for Our Children'' (289 471 171–72, 2001)
|-
| 2001
| [[Joey Mazzarino]] as Papa Bear
| [[The Boston Pops Orchestra]]
| [[Keith Lockhart]]
| Sony Wonder
| as part of ''Elmo's Musical Adventure''
|-
| 2003
| [[Antonio Banderas]],<br/>Sophia Loren
| Russian National Orchestra
| Kent Nagano
| [[Pentatone (record label)|PENTATONE]],<br/>PTC 5186014
| In Spanish
|-
| 2003
| [[Mikhail&nbsp;Gorbachev]],<br/>[[Bill Clinton]],<br/>[[Sophia Loren]]
| [[Russian National Orchestra]]
| [[Kent Nagano]]
| [[Pentatone (record label)|PENTATONE]],<br/>PTC 5186011
| Released as ''[[Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf]]''. Loren narrated ''Peter and the Wolf'', Clinton narrated ''Wolf Tracks'' (composed by [[Jean-Pascal Beintus]] with text by Walt Kraemer), and Gorbachev narrated the Introduction, Intermezzo, and Epilogue. The album won the [[Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children]].
|-
| 2004
| [[Bradley Cole]]
| [[Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot]], Ladies Swing Quartet
| [[Wojciech Rajski]]
| {{ill|Tacet (label)|de|Tacet (Label)|lt=Tacet}}
|
|-
| 2005
| [[Willie Rushton]]
| [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| Siân Edwards
| [[Classics for Pleasure]]
|
|-
| 2006
| [[Colm Feore]]<ref>{{cite web |title=WSO History |url=https://www.windsorsymphony.com/orchestra/wso-history/ |website=Windsor Symphony Orchestra |access-date=2 December 2022}}</ref>
| [[Windsor Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[John Morris Russell]]
|
|
|-
|2007
| [[Michael York]]
| [[Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra]]
| [[Miguel Harth-Bedoya]]
|
|
|-
| 2008
| [[Jacqueline du Pré]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/Mar09/du_Pre_Peter_4800475.htm|title=Du Pre Peter and the Woolf 4800475 []: Classical CD Reviews – March 2009 MusicWeb-International|website=www.musicweb-international.com}}</ref>
| [[English Chamber Orchestra]]
| [[Daniel Barenboim]]
| [[Deutsche Grammophon]]
|
|-
| 2011
| [[Phillip Schofield]]
| [[Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse]]
| [[Michel Plasson]]
| [[EMI]]
|
|-
| 2012
| [[Bramwell Tovey]]
| [[Vancouver Symphony Orchestra]]
| Bramwell Tovey
|
| {{YouTube|MfM7Y9Pcdzw}}
|-
| 2015
| [[Alice Cooper]]
| [[Bundesjugendorchester]]
| [[Alexander Shelley]]
| [[Deutsche Grammophon]]
|
|-
| 2015
| [[Harry Shearer]]
| [[Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| {{nowrap|[[Carlos Miguel Prieto]]}}
|
|
|-
| 2015
| [[David Tennant]]
| The Amazing Keystone Band
|
| [[Le Chant du Monde]]
|
|-
| 2017
| [[Miriam Margolyes]]
| [[Adelaide Symphony Orchestra]]
| Nicholas Carter
| [[ABC Classics]]<ref>[https://www.abccommercial.com/contentsales/program/peter-and-wolf-narrated-miriam-margolyes "''Peter and the Wolf'' – narrated by Miriam Margolyes"], [[ABC Commercial]]</ref>
| With Britten's ''[[The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra]]'' and Borodin's "[[Polovtsian Dances]]"
|-
| 2017
| [[Alexander Armstrong]]
| [[Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]]
| [[Vasily Petrenko]]
| Warner Classics
|
|-
| 2018
| [[Giacomo Gates]]
| New England Jazz Ensemble
| Jeff Holmes
| Self-released
| Complete ''Peter and the Wolf'' score arranged for jazz ensemble by Walter Gwardyak with modern libretto by Giacomo Gates; {{YouTube|zMNzL5tMwRM}}
|-
| 2021
| [[Viola Davis]]
| [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]]
| [[Gustavo Dudamel]]
|
|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LneI9vaTL0 Video] on [[YouTube]]
|-
|}

==Adaptations==
===Walt Disney, 1946===
{{main|Peter and the Wolf (1946 film)}}

[[File:Disney-PeterandtheWolf1946.jpg|thumb|Disney's 1946 animated short]]
Prokofiev, while touring the West in 1938, visited [[Los Angeles]] and met [[Walt Disney]]. Prokofiev performed the piano version for "''le papa de'' [[Mickey Mouse]]" ([[French language|French]] for "Mickey Mouse's dad"), as Prokofiev described him in a letter to his sons. Disney was impressed, and considered adding an animated version of ''Peter and the Wolf'' to ''Fantasia'', which was to be released in 1940. Due to [[World War II]], these plans fell through, and it was not until 1946 that Disney released his adaptation, narrated by [[Sterling Holloway]]. It is not known whether Prokofiev, who was by that point behind the [[Iron Curtain]], was aware of this.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bartig|first1=Kevin|title=Composing for the Red Screen: Prokofiev and Soviet Film|date=4 April 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199967605|page=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dihpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA61}}</ref> It was released theatrically as a segment of ''[[Make Mine Music]]'', then reissued the next year, accompanying a reissue of ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' (as a [[Short film|short subject]]), then separately on [[home video]] in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/22-Make_Mine_Music.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729030633/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/22-Make_Mine_Music.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 July 2012 |title=The Big Cartoon Database: ''Make Mine Music''|website= Bcdb.com |date=20 April 1946| access-date=1 July 2011}}</ref> This version made several changes to the original, including:
* During the character introduction, the pets are given names: Sasha the songbird, Sonia the duck, and Ivan the cat.
* As the production begins, Peter and his friends already know that a wolf is nearby and are preparing to catch him.
* The hunters get names later in the story: Misha, Yasha, and Vladimir.
* Peter daydreams of hunting and catching the wolf, and for that purpose exits the garden carrying a wooden [[pop gun]].
* At the end, in a reversal of the original (and to make the story more child-friendly), the narrator reveals that Sonia had {{em|not}} been eaten by the wolf. Earlier in the film, the wolf is shown chasing Sonia, who hides in a tree's hollow trunk. The wolf attacks out of view and returns in view with feathers in his mouth, licking his jaws. Peter, Ivan, and Sasha assume Sonia has been eaten. After the wolf is caught, Sasha is shown mourning Sonia. She comes out of the tree trunk at that point, and they are happily reunited.

In 1957, for one of his television programs, Disney recalled how Prokofiev had visited, inspiring Disney's animated version. Disney used pianist [[Ingolf Dahl]], who resembled Prokofiev, to re-create how the composer had played the themes from the score.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaHc01uwGXg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/QaHc01uwGXg |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|work=Peter and the Wolf|title= 1957 Disney TV introduction|date=1957}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=[[Anthony Linick|Linick, Anthony]]|title= The Lives of Ingolf Dahl|publisher= Author House |date=2008|page= 294}}</ref>

===British–Polish co-production, 2006===
In 2006, [[Suzie Templeton]] and [[Hugh Welchman]] directed and produced, respectively, a stop-motion [[Peter & the Wolf (2006 film)|animated adaptation]]. It is unusual in its lack of dialogue or narration. The story was told only via images and music and interrupted by sustained periods of silence. The soundtrack was performed by the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]], The film premiered with a live accompaniment in the [[Royal Albert Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://breakthrufilms.co.uk/dist.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207101824/http://breakthrufilms.co.uk/dist.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 February 2007|title=Breakthru Films|date=7 February 2007}}</ref> The film won the Annecy Cristal and the Audience Award at the 2007 [[Annecy International Animated Film Festival]],<ref>[http://www.annecy.org/home/?Page_ID=604 Annecy 2008 Festival, 2007 Award Winning Films]. Annecy.org. Retrieved on 1 July 2011.</ref> and the 2007 [[Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film]]. This version makes some changes to the original Prokofiev story, including:
* Peter bumps into one of the "hunters" (teenage bullies in this telling), who throws him in a rubbish bin and aims at him with his rifle to scare him; the second hunter watches without interfering (thus, a dislike towards the hunter/bullies is immediately created).
* Because of a broken wing, the bird has trouble flying and takes Peter's balloon to help it get aloft.
* Peter captures the wolf in a net and then the hunter gets him in his rifle's sight coincidentally, but just before shooting, the second hunter stumbles, falls on him and makes him miss the shot.
* The caged wolf is brought into the village on a cart, where Peter's grandfather tries to sell it. The hunter comes to the container and sticks his rifle in to intimidate the animal (as he did with Peter earlier on). At that time Peter throws the net on the hunter, entangling the hunter.
* Before the grandfather has made a deal, Peter unlocks the cart after looking into the eyes of the wolf. They walk side by side through the awestruck crowd and then the freed wolf runs away in the direction of the silver moon shining over the forest.

==In copyright law==
In the United States, the [[US Supreme Court]]'s decision in 2012 in ''[[Golan v. Holder]]'' restored [[copyright]] protection in the United States to numerous foreign works that had entered the [[public domain]]. ''Peter and the Wolf'' was frequently cited by the parties and amici, as well as by the Court's opinion and by the press, as an example of a well-known work that would be removed from the public domain by the decision.<ref name=SC-Opinion>{{cite web|last=Ginsburg|first=Ruth|author-link=Ruth Bader Ginsburg|title=Associate Justice|url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-545.pdf|work=Majority Opinion|publisher=Supreme Court of United States|access-date=22 January 2012}}</ref> The restored copyright per current law is 95 years after publication. Therefore the piece is expected to enter the public domain on December 31, 2031. 

In many other countries, the piece is already in the public domain.

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}
'''Sources'''
*{{Cite book|last=Morrison|first=Simon|author-link=Simon Morrison|title=The People's Artist – Prokofiev's Soviet Years|location=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-19-975348-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v0l9zLpsOmoC}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Peter and the Wolf}}
* {{IMSLP|work=Peter and the Wolf, Op.67 (Prokofiev, Sergei)|cname=''Peter and the Wolf''}}
* [https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/prokofievs-peter-and-the-wolf-which-recording-is-best ''Gramophone:'' Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf – which recording is best?]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151121212050/http://www.philtulga.com/Peter.html A list of the instruments and the story]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080509083833/http://www.breakthrufilms.co.uk/peterandthewolffilm/ ''Peter and the Wolf'' in Brooklyn (December 2008)]
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509083833/http://www.breakthrufilms.co.uk/peterandthewolffilm/ |date=9 May 2008 |title=Breakthrough Films' claymation adaptation (2006) }}
* [http://www.sprkfv.net/journal/three12/recpandw1.html Michael Biel: "The Recordings of ''Peter and the Wolf''"] in ''Three Oranges'', No. 12: November 2006, Serge Prokofiev Foundation; retrieved 23 May 2009.

{{Sergei Prokofiev}}
{{Peter and the Wolf}}
{{Portal bar|Classical music}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Peter and the Wolf| ]]
[[Category:Compositions by Sergei Prokofiev]]
[[Category:Compositions with a narrator]]
[[Category:1936 compositions]]
[[Category:Fictional wolves]]
[[Category:Big Bad Wolf]]
[[Category:Literary duos]]
[[Category:Compositions for chamber orchestra]]
[[Category:Music about animals]]