Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Blu-ray Movie Review

Who's afraid of this big bad wolf?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 30, 2011

If you’re like most people, chances are you were exposed to at least one recording of Sergey Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. This sweet little tone poem was frequently used to introduce kids to various sounds of the orchestra, much like Benjamin Britten’s Young People’s Guide to the Orchestra, especially since the narrator in Peter and the Wolf so generously introduced the cast of characters and each instrument which Prokofiev used to portray those characters. And what narrators children (of all ages) have had the pleasure of hearing through the years, a rather odd assortment of readers who run the gamut from folksy (Arthur Godfrey, Sterling Holloways) to sinister (Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone) to simply sonorous (Leonard Bernstein, Sir Ralph Richardson). In fact some of these narrators seem patently strange when thrust up against—actually right into—the rather dark subtext of Peter and the Wolf, which plays like a Grimm’s Fairy Tale come to life. But even the most colorful recording could only do so much for Prokofiev’s classic piece, and Peter and the Wolf has long been the subject for numerous adaptations, including a Disney vignette (originally released as part of Make Mine Music) and numerous other television and film offerings. Prokofiev was originally commissioned to write the piece (which he managed to finish in an astonishing four days) specifically to introduce children to the world of classical music, and something akin to that introduction is at hand (not to mention at foot) in a charming ballet adaptation produced by The Royal Ballet (originally mounted in 1995) and featuring a coterie of promising young dancers who are enrolled in the The Royal Ballet School. Bright, colorful, if not especially menacing, this Peter and the Wolf is a multimedia presentation that, judging by the wide eyed wonder of several young attendees shown in shots of the audience on this new Blu-ray, simultaneously introduces kids to the worlds of classical music and classical dance.

Prokofiev is a composer who is able to combine childlike whimsy with just the hint of snarky menace, and so would seem to be the perfect person to craft a Grimm-like fable like Peter and the Wolf. There are probably very few of you who can’t hum the main “Peter” theme of this piece, that jaunty, lyrical (and surprisingly tonal) little melody that suddenly introduces a Lydian surprise by dint of its augmented fourth and suddenly is recast in a completely new sonic light. That’s Sergey Prokofiev in a nutshell, a composer who happily ambles along with long, sonorous lines which are suddenly interrupted by sarcastic little quips that seem to suggest “all just might not turn out happily ever after.” Peter and the Wolf is a brief piece—barely a half hour long in this production—but it’s a sort of encapsulated, Reader’s Digest look into Prokofiev’s compositional creative process, one that is constantly straining at the bounds of tonality with brief brushes of dissonance and bombast, but which almost always settles into a supremely melodic mode (no pun intended).

As befits a piece written for children, Peter and the Wolf is brisk and to the point. Prokofiev introduces us to the major characters, each with their instrumental counterpart. The beautifully plumed bird is given its sonic equivalent with the flute, the kind of temperamental duck is paired with the oboe, the sinuous cat with the clarinet, the big bad wolf with three horns (voiced deliciously low and in minor, of course), Peter with the strings, the Grandfather/Narrator with the bassoon, and the hunters and gunshots of course presented by the drums and tympani. After we receive our introductions (which also afford each of the children a brief dance solo), we’re off into the story, which truth be told isn’t exactly a model of Freudian depth or nuance. Peter spies all of the forest creatures one by one and eventually comes into contact with the nefarious wolf, who manages to dispatch the duck with little fuss or bother (but a big, humorous spray of feathers), but who is then caught by Peter to be taken off to the local zoo.

This production features a minimal but effective scenic design by Ian Spurling, who also contributed the sparkling and very effective costumes. The choreography by Matthew Hart is similarly minimalist, but it shows off the kids to great advantage, and it’s to Hart’s credit that he invents several ensemble moments where those who aren’t offered in featured roles at least get the chance to traipse across the stage a time or two, to the obvious delight of their friends and family in the audience. The entire production is incredibly colorful and fun to watch, as it should be. This Peter and the Wolf is not going to set any new standards for balletic brilliance or innovation, but it’s fleet and immensely enjoyable, and it also features a suitably athletic turn by Sergei Polunin as the Wolf, and a fun portrayal of Grandfather (and the Narrator) by Will Kemp.

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Peter and the Wolf is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Opus Arte with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. Despite the lack of sumptuous scenery in this piece, this interlaced video presentation offers substantial pop and nuance, especially with regard to the fanciful costumes by Ian Spurling. Seemingly each individual feather on both the bird and duck are visible, as is the pill on the cat's deep black apparel. The entire stage is lit in a nice display of cross hatched teal, yellow and blue, and those colors are beautifully saturated. There are some very minor problems with the cat in particular blending in with the dark brown tree trunk that is the only real set on stage, but otherwise contrast, black levels and shadow detail are precise and very well modulated. Close-ups reveal a wealth of fine detail, including make-up and masks.

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Peter and the Wolf features two lossless audio options, as is Opus Arte's modus operandi. As is usual, we have both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix as well as an LPCM 2.0 stereo fold down. The 5.1 mix offers a nicely spacious representation of The Royal Ballet's stage and hall, but considering the small scale of both the score and the ballet, some listeners may actually like to opt for the LPCM 2.0 version, as that presents a decidedly more "compact" rendering of the score. Fidelity on both of these tracks is exceptional, with nice balance between the Royal Ballet Sinfonia (under the capable direction of Paul Murphy) and Kemp's narration. Both the solo segments and the full orchestra moments are offered with excellent dynamic range and a very nice, warm ambience throughout all frequency ranges.

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Rehearsing Peter and the Wolf (1080i; 8:31). This is a sweet little piece full of wide eyed youngsters who seem to be completely starstruck at their chance to work on the vaunted Royal Ballet stage with at least a couple of well known principals.
• Cast Gallery (1080i; 00:37)

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Many of you probably have very strong memories, as do I, of various Peter and the Wolf recordings that you were no doubt introduced to as a child. Those recordings of course depended on imagination to create the story visually, and it's to Hart's credit, as well as The Royal Ballet School generally, that this production manages to bring a lot of that imaginative childlike wonder fully to life. Though the scenic design here is a bit minimal, and actually kind of odd (the huge tree trunk makes for some awkward moments when the wolf needs to be tied to it about two- thirds of the way through the piece), that's more than made up for by the really wonderful costumes. This Blu-ray presentation looks great and sounds stupendous, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale than some classical music and ballet lovers might be used to. The only downside to this release is that the production is really rather brief (barely a half hour long), and this release doesn't offer any copious supplements to make up for that brevity, meaning its price tag may strike some as unwarranted. Otherwise, though, this release comes Recommended.