Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf |
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Jean-Pascal Beintus
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The album Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf came out in 2003. It brings together two musical stories about wolves. One is the famous "Peter and the Wolf" by Sergei Prokofiev. The other is a newer story called "Wolf Tracks," created in 2002.
The music for "Wolf Tracks" was written by French composer Jean-Pascal Beintus. The words were written by Walt Kraemer. The Russian National Orchestra thought of this project and asked for it to be made. Kent Nagano was in charge of the orchestra's music for this album.
Contents
The Story of Wolf Tracks
"Wolf Tracks" is also known as "The Wolf and Peter." It is like a follow-up story to "Peter and the Wolf." It also tells the original story again in a new way.
In "Wolf Tracks," Peter's grandson, who is also named Peter, hears his grandpa's story. His grandpa tells him about meeting a wolf a long time ago. The young Peter decides he wants to find and hunt a wolf too.
His grandpa tells him not to. He says wolves should be left alone. He explains that wolves are hungry and desperate because their forests are almost gone. But young Peter does not listen. He goes into the woods by himself.
There, Peter sees a thin, gray wolf. The wolf is looking for food for its family. Peter chases the wolf and catches it. Then, Peter hears the wolf whimpering, a soft crying sound. He looks into the wolf's beautiful blue-gray eyes.
Peter then understands that his grandpa was right. He realizes that wolves are in danger. He thinks, "It wasn't really Peter's wolf at all." He understands that wolves belong to the whole world. They are part of nature's wonder and beauty.
So, Peter lets the wolf go free. He goes home to his grandpa. In the end, this Peter is now an old man. He is telling the story of his adventure to his own granddaughter.
Famous Voices Tell the Stories
Recordings of the album were made in many languages. The main English version had famous people telling the stories.
- Peter and the Wolf was narrated by Sophia Loren, a famous actress.
- Wolf Tracks was narrated by Bill Clinton, who used to be the President of the United States.
There were also three short spoken parts: "Introduction," "Intermezzo," and "Epilogue." These were recorded by Mikhail Gorbachev. He was a very important leader from Russia. He spoke in Russian, and then an English translation followed.
These famous people chose charities to receive money from their work on the album.
- Sophia Loren chose Magic of Music. This program helps young people learn about music and arts.
- Bill Clinton chose the International AIDS Trust. This group helps people affected by AIDS.
- Mikhail Gorbachev chose Green Cross International. This charity works to protect the environment.
Other Language Versions
A Spanish language version of the album came out in 2005. It was narrated by actor Antonio Banderas and Sophia Loren.
Other versions were also released:
- In Russian, actors Oleg Tabakov and Sergey Bezrukov narrated.
- In Mandarin Chinese, actor Pu Cunxin and TV anchor Xiao Lu narrated.
Art on the Album
The pictures on the CD cover and in the booklet were special. They were drawn by children from Moscow. These children were orphans or had disabilities.
The drawings were chosen from hundreds shown at an event. This event is called the "How I See Music" Exhibition. The Russian National Orchestra helps put on this art show every year. It takes place at the Moscow Conservatory.
Awards and Recognition
The album received a special award in 2004. It won a Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. This was a big deal! It was the first time a former U.S. President or a Russian orchestra won this award.
