Program

Sergei Prokofiev, Peter and the Wolf

Introduction

"Early one morning, Peter opened the gate and went out into the Big Green Meadow"

"Suddenly, Something Caught Peter's Attention"

"Grandfather Came Out"

"No Sooner Had Peter Gone, Than a Big Grey Wolf Came Out of the Forest"

"And Now This Is How Things Stood"

"He Ran Home, Got A Strong Rope And Climbed up the High Stone Wall"

"The Hunters Came Out of the Woods"

The Triumphant Procession to the Zoo

Camille Saint-Saëns, Le Carnaval des animaux (The Carnival of the Animals)

1. Introduction and Royal March of the Lion

2. Hens and Roosters

3. Wild Asses

4. Tortoises

5. The Elephant

6. Kangaroos

7. Aquarium

8. Characters with Long Ears

9. The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods

10. Aviary

11. Pianists

12. Fossils

13. The Swan

14. Finale

Maurice Ravel, Ma mère l'Oye (Mother Goose)

I. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant – Lent

II. Petit Poucet – Très modéré

III. Laideronnette, Impératrice des Pagodes – Mouvement de marche

IV. Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête – Mouvement de valse très modéré

V. Le Jardin féerique – Lent et grave

Marin Alsop conducts Prokofiev, Saint-Saëns, and Ravel

Britten-Pears Orchestra

Subscribers

Cast

Genevieve and Rebecca Helsby — Texts

Britten–Pears Orchestra

Marin Alsop — Conductor, narrator

Program notes

A concert for the young (and young at heart) conducted by the great Marin Alsop! The evening begins with Prokofiev’s unforgettable musical fairytale Peter and the Wolf, an exciting opportunity for children to discover some of the many different instruments that make up the orchestra. Next comes The Carnival of the Animals, a “grand zoological fantasy” where Saint-Saëns parodies other composers through music: Offenbach in “Tortoises”, Berlioz in “The Elephant”, Rameau in “Hens and Roosters”, and Rossini in “Fossils”! The concert finishes with Ravel’s Mother Goose, which brings to life the fantastical world of childhood stories and dreams.

Marin Alsop's formidable talent has won her worldwide renown and an unshakeable place in the traditionally male-dominated milieu of classical music conductors. Also an eminent violinist, she is currently—among other titles and honors—music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor of the Vienna RSO.

A closer look: featured composers

Camille Saint-Saëns

Maurice Ravel

Sergei Prokofiev

Further listening: featured works

Le Carnaval des animaux (The Carnival of the Animals)

Camille Saint-Saëns (Composer)

Ma mère l'Oye (Mother Goose)

Maurice Ravel (Composer)