Tchaikovsky - Peter & The Wolf - Best Version?

[jgordon]

Pretty much as the title suggests. I've had it in my head for a few days, and realized I don't own a copy. Would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks.

 

[guiller]

"Peter and the Wolf" was composed by Sergei Prokofiev! I guess you want a recording with text in the English language. There are musical values (conductor and orchestra) as well as the style of the person who reads the text. You could sample the different styles in youtube and decide which one fits better your taste.
Some good recordings are:

https://archive.org/details/ProkofievPeterAndTheWolfSuitebernstein

This is one of my favorite performances, but it is in Italian language by Roberto Benigni!

 

[jgannon]

 

[jgannon]

 

[steerpike2]

This is surprisingly well done....

 

[iramegdal]

This is surprisingly well done....

Fun version to try: Koussevitzky and Eleanor Roosevelt.

 

[tnsilver]

Nice topic! I've always loved this piece. According to this article by

Michael Biel, there's about 400 versions of Prokofieff's Peter and the Wolf available globally and even if taking into account just the full length ones that are true to Prokofieff's original
wording and orchestration, there's still about 300 of them.

Example narrators from Michael Biel's article:

• Political personalities: Eleanor Roosevelt, William F. Buckley, Jr.
• News readers/Broadcast announcers: Ben Grauer, Lorne Greene, Wilfred Pickles, Angela Rippon, Milton Cross, Dorothy Fuldheim, Arthur Godfrey, Bob Danvers Walker, Terry Wogan
• Radio comedians/Comic Actors: Fred Allen, Kenneth Horne, Henry Morgan, and Garry Moore, Kirstie Alley, Ray Bolger, Eddie Bracken, Hans Conreid, Dom DeLuise, Dame Edna Everage, Fernandel, Don Harron, Melissa Joan Hart, Lenny Henry, Paul Hogan, Frankie Howerd, Sterling Holloway, Bob Keeshan, Rich Little, Bob McGrath, Jimmy Nelson & friends, Rob Reiner, Peter Schickele, Arnold Stang, Peter Ustinov, and Jonathan Winters
• Actors: David Attenborough, Richard Attenborough, LeVar Burton, Lloyd Bridges, Sean Connery, Mildred Dunnock, Ralph Evans, Mia Farrow, José Ferrer, Will Geer, Sir John Gielgud, Alec Guinness, Richard Hale, Victor Jory, Boris Karloff, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, George Raft, Basil Rathbone, Sir Ralph Richardson, Romy Schneider, Patrick Stewart, and Sharon Stone
• Musicians: Leonard Bernstein, André Previn, Jacqueline du Pré, Itzhak Perlman, William Bell, Dudley Moore, Jack Lemmon, Tony Randall, Carol Channing, Beatrice Lillie, Hermione Gingold, Cyril Ritchard, Zero Mostel
• Singers: Maureen Forrester, Michael Flanders, Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, David Bowie, Sting, Bono, Frank Luther, Allan Sherman, Dave Van Ronk, Weird Al Yankovic.
• multiple times recorders: Sir John Gielgud, Richard Hale, Sterling Holloway, Boris Karloff, Henry Morgan, Kirstie Alley, Bob McGrath, Dudley Moore, Basil Rathbone, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Sir Peter Ustinov

There's hundreds more, including none narrated versions by the best Orchestras in the world and way too many to count none-English narrated versions.
I grew up on Sean Connery's narrated version and for the nostalgic sentiment and true fondness of this masterpiece, I managed to collect a few other versions over the years, albeit I am no where
near the other professional Peter and the Wolf collectors. My favorites are Sting and Bowie, but listening to Bowie is still making me too sad over his recent (feels like it to me) tragic death.

 

[Barncats]

Had no idea so *many* had recorded narrations. I'm partial to the Michael Flanders, fwiw.

 

[iramegdal]

Nice topic! I've always loved this piece. According to this article by

Michael Biel, there's about 400 versions of Prokofieff's Peter and the Wolf available globally and even if taking into account just the full length ones that are true to Prokofieff's original
wording and orchestration, there's still about 300 of them.

Example narrators from Michael Biel's article:

• Political personalities: Eleanor Roosevelt, William F. Buckley, Jr.
• News readers/Broadcast announcers: Ben Grauer, Lorne Greene, Wilfred Pickles, Angela Rippon, Milton Cross, Dorothy Fuldheim, Arthur Godfrey, Bob Danvers Walker, Terry Wogan
• Radio comedians/Comic Actors: Fred Allen, Kenneth Horne, Henry Morgan, and Garry Moore, Kirstie Alley, Ray Bolger, Eddie Bracken, Hans Conreid, Dom DeLuise, Dame Edna Everage, Fernandel, Don Harron, Melissa Joan Hart, Lenny Henry, Paul Hogan, Frankie Howerd, Sterling Holloway, Bob Keeshan, Rich Little, Bob McGrath, Jimmy Nelson & friends, Rob Reiner, Peter Schickele, Arnold Stang, Peter Ustinov, and Jonathan Winters
• Actors: David Attenborough, Richard Attenborough, LeVar Burton, Lloyd Bridges, Sean Connery, Mildred Dunnock, Ralph Evans, Mia Farrow, José Ferrer, Will Geer, Sir John Gielgud, Alec Guinness, Richard Hale, Victor Jory, Boris Karloff, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, George Raft, Basil Rathbone, Sir Ralph Richardson, Romy Schneider, Patrick Stewart, and Sharon Stone
• Musicians: Leonard Bernstein, André Previn, Jacqueline du Pré, Itzhak Perlman, William Bell, Dudley Moore, Jack Lemmon, Tony Randall, Carol Channing, Beatrice Lillie, Hermione Gingold, Cyril Ritchard, Zero Mostel
• Singers: Maureen Forrester, Michael Flanders, Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, David Bowie, Sting, Bono, Frank Luther, Allan Sherman, Dave Van Ronk, Weird Al Yankovic.
• multiple times recorders: Sir John Gielgud, Richard Hale, Sterling Holloway, Boris Karloff, Henry Morgan, Kirstie Alley, Bob McGrath, Dudley Moore, Basil Rathbone, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Sir Peter Ustinov

There's hundreds more, including none narrated versions by the best Orchestras in the world and way too many to count none-English narrated versions.
I grew up on Sean Connery's narrated version and for the nostalgic sentiment and true fondness of this masterpiece, I managed to collect a few other versions over the years, albeit I am no where
near the other professional Peter and the Wolf collectors. My favorites are Sting and Bowie, but listening to Bowie is still making me too sad over his recent (feels like it to me) tragic death.

Would love to hear Arnold Stang!

 

[stereofanboy]

This is the one I had growing up.

 

[lini]

For me: The Loriot version - 'cause I not only like that one, but by chance also got a hand-signed exemplar from my old neighbour lady a few years ago, that happened to be dedicated to another Manfred.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[Lapslah]

I also had the Boris Karloff version growing up. May still have it around here somewhere, I'm going to have to do some digging now. The funny thing is that because of this piece, for much of my young life I thought ducks couldn't fly. What's up with that in the story?

 

[Pal147]

There is only one and that is believe it or not Alice Cooper a true classic.

 

[Ken Boyd]

Here is one that I liked, which has Peter Ustinov narrating. Also with Karajan and the Philharmonia Orchaestra.


More Images

Peter Ustinov Narrator Herbert von Karajan Conductor Philharmonia Orchestra ‎– Peter And The Wolf
Label:
Angel Records ‎– 35638
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Stereo
Country:
US
Released:
1959
Genre:
Classical

 

[jrtrent]

Sterling Holloway's narration is my favorite.

 

[dr*audio]

My favorite is the one with Jonathan Winters. He is a wonderful narrator and he imbues the piece with a great sense of fun.

 

[geespot]

Didn't Patrick Stewart do a version?

 

[jmchrislip]

I recently got a Deutsche Grammophon narrated by Karlheinz Bohm and conducted by Karl Bohm. What make it unique is it's a Japanese pressing not German. Beautifully pressing.