QSO performs Peter and the Wolf

It's a story of adventure and enchantment, and one that has been performed thousands of times around the world – and after 80 years, Prokofiev's brilliant Peter and the Wolf is among the most loved musical tales of all time. On Sunday 23 October in a very special one-off matinee event in The Courier Mail Piazza at South Bank, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra will bring this story to life, with narration by actor Jason Klarwein.

Composed by Russian Sergei Prokofiev in 1936, Peter and The Wolf is a wonderful musical adventure, originally composed to cultivate musical tastes in children from the first years of school. That it has done, in spades!

Eighty years on, this iconic tale still lives on in the hearts of children young and old; capturing imaginations and delighting as the courageous Peter and his animal friends outwit a wily wolf.

The true heroes who bring life to the tale are the musical instruments, with the strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion each signifying different characters in the story. Scored with Bird as flute, Cat as clarinet, Duck as oboe, Grandfather as bassoon, the hunters as woodwind and trumpet, Wolf as French horns and Peter as string instruments, the score is magical, and was always written to be also narrated.

That narration comes from actor and most recently director of Queensland Theatre's blockbuster St Mary's in Exile and Macbeth artist, Jason Klarwein. "I remember listening to Peter and the Wolf as a child and how vivid the music was," he said. "I am really thrilled and excited that so many children will get to experience this wonderful performance first-hand next month with QSO.  What a privilege it is to narrate this timeless tale."