Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf
Encyclopedia
Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf was a 2005 album that combined the orchestral composition Peter and the Wolf
by Sergei Prokofiev
with a 2002 composition, Wolf Tracks, which had its score written by French composer Jean-Pascal Beintus
and text written by Walt Kreamer. The project was conceived and commissioned by the Russian National Orchestra
, under the artistic direction of Kent Nagano
.
Wolf Tracks, which has the alternate title The Wolf and Peter, is meant to be both a sequel to and a retelling of Peter and the Wolf. In the story, Peter's grandson, also named Peter, hears his grandfather describe his encounter with the wolf, and decides that he too should track and hunt down a wolf just as his grandfather did. His grandfather protests, saying that wolves should be left alone, because, "with their forests nearly gone, they've become hungry, desperate animals," but Peter ignores his grandfather's advice and goes off into the woods. There, Peter sees "a thin gray Wolf", out to find prey for his family, then chases it and captures it. Peter then hears the wolf's whimpering, and sees "the slate-blue beauty of his captive's eyes", and realizes that his grandfather was correct about the wolves being endangered; he realizes that "It wasn't really Peter's wolf at all. Wolves belong to the world... their world, our world of wonder, of nature’s splendor." He lets the wolf go free, and goes home to his grandfather. In the final scene, this Peter is now an old man, retelling the story of his adventure to his granddaughter.
Recordings were made in several languages. The main version, in English, had Peter and the Wolf narrated by Sophia Loren
, and Wolf Tracks narrated by Bill Clinton
. Three spoken-word sections, Introduction, Intermezzo and Epilogue, were recorded by Mikhail Gorbachev
, who spoke in Russian
, with a translation that followed in English. Each of three designated a charity to receive their royalties: Loren to the Magic of Music, an arts program for youth; Clinton to the International AIDS Trust; and Gorbachev to Green Cross International, an environmental charity.
A Spanish language
version was released in 2005, with narration by Antonio Banderas
and Sophia Loren. Versions were also released in Russian
, narrated by actors Oleg Tabakov
and Sergey Bezrukov and Mandarin Chinese, narrated by actor Pu Cunxin
and television anchor Xiao Lu.
The art on the CD's cover and booklet was drawn by several orphans and disabled children from Moscow
. The drawings were selected from the hundreds shown at the "How I See Music" Exhibition, an annual event sponsored by the RNO at the Moscow Conservatory
.
Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf , Op. 67, is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra....
by Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
with a 2002 composition, Wolf Tracks, which had its score written by French composer Jean-Pascal Beintus
Jean-Pascal Beintus
Jean-Pascal Beintus is a French composer. Born in Toulouse, France in 1966, he studied double bass and composition at the conservatories of Nice, Lyon and Paris during the 1980s. When John Eliot Gardiner created the Lyon Opéra Orchestra in 1983, he selected Beintus as a founding double bass player...
and text written by Walt Kreamer. The project was conceived and commissioned by the Russian National Orchestra
Russian National Orchestra
The Russian National Orchestra premiered in Moscow in 1990.It was the first Russian orchestra to perform at the Apostolic Palace, Vatican and in Israel....
, under the artistic direction of Kent Nagano
Kent Nagano
__FORCETOC__Kent George Nagano is an American conductor and opera administrator. He is currently the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Bavarian State Opera.-Biography:...
.
Wolf Tracks, which has the alternate title The Wolf and Peter, is meant to be both a sequel to and a retelling of Peter and the Wolf. In the story, Peter's grandson, also named Peter, hears his grandfather describe his encounter with the wolf, and decides that he too should track and hunt down a wolf just as his grandfather did. His grandfather protests, saying that wolves should be left alone, because, "with their forests nearly gone, they've become hungry, desperate animals," but Peter ignores his grandfather's advice and goes off into the woods. There, Peter sees "a thin gray Wolf", out to find prey for his family, then chases it and captures it. Peter then hears the wolf's whimpering, and sees "the slate-blue beauty of his captive's eyes", and realizes that his grandfather was correct about the wolves being endangered; he realizes that "It wasn't really Peter's wolf at all. Wolves belong to the world... their world, our world of wonder, of nature’s splendor." He lets the wolf go free, and goes home to his grandfather. In the final scene, this Peter is now an old man, retelling the story of his adventure to his granddaughter.
Recordings were made in several languages. The main version, in English, had Peter and the Wolf narrated by Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
, and Wolf Tracks narrated by Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Three spoken-word sections, Introduction, Intermezzo and Epilogue, were recorded by Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
, who spoke in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, with a translation that followed in English. Each of three designated a charity to receive their royalties: Loren to the Magic of Music, an arts program for youth; Clinton to the International AIDS Trust; and Gorbachev to Green Cross International, an environmental charity.
A Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version was released in 2005, with narration by Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
and Sophia Loren. Versions were also released in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, narrated by actors Oleg Tabakov
Oleg Tabakov
Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov is a Soviet and Russian actor and the artistic director of the Moscow Art Theatre.-Theatre career:...
and Sergey Bezrukov and Mandarin Chinese, narrated by actor Pu Cunxin
Pu Cunxin
Pu Cunxin, also transliterated as Pu Quanxin is a Chinese actor. He is or was a member of the Beijing Experimental Theater Troupe.- Films :- External links :* at the Chinese Movie Database...
and television anchor Xiao Lu.
The art on the CD's cover and booklet was drawn by several orphans and disabled children from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. The drawings were selected from the hundreds shown at the "How I See Music" Exhibition, an annual event sponsored by the RNO at the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
.