Sergei Prokofiev - Peter and the Wolf

I've always liked this suite, or whatever it is. I watched the animated film that Disney made for Peter and the Wolf when I was a tyke, (wow! It was made in 1946.) and I always knew it was fantastic. It's such a simple idea, to give each character in a simple children's story a musical motif. It makes the music instantly evoke concrete ideas and emotions, which is perfect for children. You listen to the plodding clarinet melody that represents the cat and you can just see and feel its paws softly touching the ground as it slinks around. The melody is everything catlike distilled into soundwaves- its careful but self-satisfied gait, the hint of mischevious plots forming in its feline brain, et cetera. It's brilliant musical poetry. (The disney film illustrates this by replacing notes on a staff with animated cat footprints, which I think is pretty clever.)

But Peter and the Wolf is more than clever ideas. It's awesome, because Prokofiev is a brilliant composer. The melodies are powerful and haunting. Peter's theme makes my heart swell, and the wolf's theme makes me shiver. Every note, tempo, and dynamic is perfectly placed to make the music as stirring and beautiful as a children's story can possibly be. Peter and the Wolf is a simple and eloquent classic.

Today I downloaded the only recording of Peter and the Wolf I could find on the internet. It is narrated by David Bowie himself. Cool. I can see myself sitting in a comfortable den with my adorable and charming future children and playing it for them so that they will become addicted to good music. Excellent.