Sergey Prokofiev

Symphonic Circus Performance

One of the most famous Russian composers of the 20th century, the author of world famous symphonies, operas, ballets (including the opera "War and Peace", as well as the ballet "Romeo and Juliet"), Sergei Prokofiev turned in 1936 to children's music. Striving to introduce the instruments of the symphony orchestra, their voices, timbres, characters, the composer wrote a symphonic fairy tale "Petya and the Wolf" - one of the recognized masterpieces of Prokofiev's music. The text intended for the reader was created by the composer himself. Each character, according to the author's idea, corresponds to a leitmotif that always sounds on the same musical instrument, which play the "roles" of this tale: Bird - flute, Duck - oboe, Grandfather - bassoon, Cat - clarinet, Wolf - French horn ... As a result, a wonderful work was born, where the most witty characteristic of Prokofiev's instrumentalism was manifested - a real gift for children who are just beginning to learn music and musical instruments. This fairy-tale adventure in an easy and fun way teaches you to recognize the voices of instruments in a real serious symphonic orchestra. The musical fairy tale gained the widest popularity and entered the repertoire of the best orchestras of the world - it was conducted by Herbert von Karajan. And which only the artists did not participate in the performance of "Petty and the Wolf," even the movie star Sophia Loren! In the role of a reader in different years, such pop stars and film stars as Sting, David Bowie, Charles Aznavour, Sean Connery, and even politicians - Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev.

In the theater "Through the Looking Glass" each character of the tale gained not only his own symphonic voice, but also a new, unusual life on the stage. Here the fairy tale turned into a witty symphonic circus performance. At the behest of the director all the characters of the fairy tale - Petya, his Grandfather, Bird, Cat, Duck, Wolf and even hunters - became circus performers, each of whom has his own expressive plastic, his theatrical and musical character. Petin grandfather, for example, became a heavyweight, Bird - equilibrist, hunters - clowns, terrible Wolf became an illusionist and hypnotist, and the Duck even learned to fly.

Musical Director and Conductor: Arkady Shteinluht

Directed by: Arkady Ghevondov

Set Designer: Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Natalia Klemina

Choreographer: Irina Novik

Lighting artists: Elena Maksimova, Svetlana Nikolaenko

Characters and performers:

SINGING: Kirill Pavlov

BIRD: Daria Rositskaya

CAT: Maria Neustroeva

DUCK: Julia Kukhareva

UTKINS FINGERS: Natalia Barlyaeva

Grandfather: Mikhail Novoselov, Alexey Sazonov