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| Sergei Prokofiev |
On May 2nd 1936, which has its 86th
anniversary this week, there was a disappointing opening at the Moscow
Philharmonic. Sergei Prokofiev had recently enjoyed his 45th
birthday, and had earlier that year settled permanently in a city which had
only two decades before been wracked by revolution. Already the acclaimed
composer of great operas such as The
Fiery Angel (1919-27) and The Love
for Three Oranges (1919), he had won acclaim for his revolutionary
technical and artistic achievements, as well as notoriety for his dissonant and
controversial musical experiments. The composer was given leave to travel from
Russia to America, to Germany and to Paris, and when he returned it was as one
of the world’s most celebrated artists.
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| The Moscow Children's Theatre, now the Nataliya Sats Theatre named after the formidable woman who comissioned Peter and the Wolf |
Settling back into life in Moscow, Prokofiev was glad to
take a small commission from the Children’s Theatre. He was no doubt convinced
to take up the modest project by the strong and determined Nataliya Sats, who
ruled the theatre with a strong business sense and absolute artistic determination.
Sats was immensely well-respected, and when she asked Prokofiev to produce a
work which could fulfil the pedagogical role of introducing children to certain
aspects of music and of the orchestra, he was happy to oblige.
The work he produced was a piece which gradually introduced
the audience to elements of the orchestra, giving space and identity to each
instrument in such a manner as to illuminate their individual characters as
well as their purpose within the wider orchestral framework. The work was to
incorporate a spoken-word element which told the story of Pioneer Peter who
‘sets wrong to right by defying an elder’ (Simon Morrison, The People’s Artist). This was a simple morality tale with obvious
political implications in post-Revolutionary Russia. The 1920’s and 30’s were
filled with this kind of children’s literature, which taught a questioning
attitude to authority, which demonstrated youth and energy triumphing over
ignorance and age. The original text was drafted by poet Nina Sakonskaya, who
had considerable experience writing stories in verse for young readers.
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| An autographed score from its 1938 US premiere |
Prokofiev rejected Sakonskaya’s draft, feeling that the
story was too rhymed, the rhythm of the words claiming a dominance over the
music which was entirely inappropriate to his project. While acknowledging the
importance of words in his tale, Prokofiev insisted upon their proper and
properly delicate balancing against the music. Too much rhyme and rhythm and
their jangling would drown out everything else. Prokofiev, choosing instead to
draft the text himself, insisted ‘Words must know their place.’ They found
their place in his own version, drafted rapidly under the title How Pioneer Peter Caught the Wolf. The
plot borrows from folklore, from propaganda, and even from Disney, reflecting
the concerns of animal-based morality shorts such as The Wise Little Hen.
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| Donald Duck greets The Wise Little Hen (1934), one of Prokofiev's more surprising inspirations |
It took less than a week for Prokofiev to create the piano
score, it took a further 10 days for him to complete the orchestration. Peter’s
theme came first, the anchor for the adventure, and one which is flexible
enough to bend into a march, a pastorale and a waltz as the narrative dictates.
The other themes came next, inspired by the key sounds and techniques of the
individual instruments. Prokofiev’s lightness of touch, his sympathy for the
whimsical imaginations of children and his skill in pictorialism all combine to
make for an enchanting tale that belies its roots in didacticism. The enduring
and global success of what would come to be known as Peter and the Wolf demonstrates the power of its simple story to
move beyond a simple delineation of a pioneer’s responsibilities and virtues
into something which resonates with the fundamental thrills, fears and triumphs
of childhood.
There was little triumph in that first performance, however,
as Prokofiev’s new work was greeted with profound indifference by the stiff
adult audience at the Philharmonic. His work seemed minor and unchallenging,
the audience had little interest in being educated about the mechanics of the
orchestra, or the trials of boyhood. It wasn’t until Prokofiev presented the
work at a mixed audience of old and young at the Children’s Theatre that it’s
incredible journey to international renown began.
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| The wolf in BreakThru's own version of Prokofiev's classic |
Though adult audiences were eventually to warm considerably to
the work, giving it an almost unique status among classical music as a piece
beloved by audiences of all ages, it is among children that its true magic
remains its most potent. When BreakThru present Suzie Templeton’s version with
a live accompaniment, the loudest laughs still come from the children, the
humour of that final oboe quack from the depths of the wolf’s stomach never
fails to bring the house down. Prokofiev’s achievement is a truly universal
one, it translates into any language, it rings true with any audience, and
shows so sign of falling from its place in the hearts of young and old alike.
- Stewart Pringle
