Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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Here’s a delight! Peter and the Wolf is one of a number of books that make up a colourful series from Schott Music, called ‘Get to Know Classical Masterpieces‘.
Featuring the whole of Prokofiev’s masterpiece of musical storytelling in a “simple arrangement for piano”, the book is the work of the ever-industrious Hans-Günter Heumann. The full story is presented in an English translation by Julia Rushworth, and with superb colour illustrations throughout by Brigitte Smith.
The book can comfortably be recommended, but the review that follows will assess the difficulty level of the piano writing and consider, as usual, who this publication is particularly suitable for. Read on for more details, and a list of other titles in the series…
A musical tale for children
Prokofiev created his enchanting musical tale Peter and the Wolf for the Moscow Central Children’s Theatre in 1936, three years after returning to live in his homeland for good. Scored for narrator (the words written by the composer himself) and small orchestra, each character in the story is represented by its own musical theme and distinctive instrumentation.
Peter and the Wolf has subsequently garnered worldwide popularity, its captivating storytelling and vividly portrayed characters delighting children and adults alike. The themes of bravery, friendship, and the triumph of good over evil resonate universally, and combine to make the story engaging, relatable, and a timeless classic.
Mixing memorable melody, neoclassical tonality (including dramatic dissonance), and a witty sense of humour, all conveyed with picturesque charm, Prokofiev’s music serves as an excellent introduction to the instruments of the orchestra and their distinctive sounds, while fostering musical appreciation from an early age.
A simple arrangement for piano
Hans-Günter Heumann is one of the most experienced and prolific arrangers in the business. Continually producing fresh, simplified versions of the classics for piano, his name graces literally hundreds of publications in the Schott Music catalogue. In the ‘Get to Know Classical Masterpieces‘ series alone, he has contributed the following titles:
- The Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns)
- The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
- The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
- Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky)
- Peer Gynt (Grieg)
- The Magic Flute (Mozart)
- The Moldau (Smetana)
- Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorgsky)
- Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck)
I have not seen these, but would comfortably expect them to be of a similar high quality to his rendition of Peter and the Wolf.
Here, the full story is reproduced and, as in the original, interspersed with the musical characterisations of the unfolding drama. Thus, the book begins by introducing the individual character themes one by one, before launching into the beloved story…
“Early one morning Peter opened the garden gate and went out into the big green meadow…”
Heumann’s simple arrangements aren’t as easy as one might imagine, not least because he has retained the many keys of Prokofiev’s original. In most cases, his versions are shorter than the originals. Nevertheless, with more than 30 musical snippets illustrating the story, a wide range of moods, dynamics, colours, and keyboard ranges are covered.
If pushed, I would suggest that an Intermediate player around UK Grade 4-5 could manage this material with practice, while a more accomplished player could more comfortably play through the collection with little preparation.
While this piano rendition obviously loses the benefit of introducing children to the timbres of different instruments and textures, Heumann cleverly brings to life the contrasting moods they evoke. Reducing each musical excerpt to its core essence, he has created satisfying piano reductions of the original orchestration.
Just a couple of times, I wondered whether he missed the authentic harmonic twists, but overall I think that these simplifications have been brilliantly adapted, and remain true to the source material.
The publication
Schott Music’s publication is beautiful indeed. The book has a shiny card cover, staple binding, and 32 white pages within. The illustrations are printed in full colour throughout, and I counted an astonishing 35 of them! Some are full page, while many are interjected between the story elements and musical excerpts.
I cannot overstate the brilliance of the artwork: the quality of Brigitte Smith’s illustrations is such that, even without the music itself, this would make a fabulous children’s picture and storybook. A parent could enjoy the book with their child while listening to a recording of the original Prokofiev orchestral version, should they wish to, and it would still be more than worth the price.
This raises the question, who is the publication aimed at?
As noted above, a mid to late intermediate player could happily explore the collection as a fun project, for example during their summer school holiday.
An older, accomplished player could have plenty of enjoyment with this book (and no doubt others in the series) exploring great classical favourites.
But perhaps the best use case is the accomplished pianist, reading the story to a young family member, or a primary school class, while playing along.
Closing Thoughts
Isn’t this the dream? It seems magical! With its vivid artwork, superb presentation, intelligent arrangements, and of course the genius of Prokofiev’s original masterpiece, this really is a publication that bursts to life with every page turned.
I’m super impressed that Schott Music have invested in this publication, and indeed the whole series; I have no doubt that producing such an impressive publication involved considerable cost. How wonderful that they are investing in introducing another generation of children to superb music, and in such an imaginative, scintillating, striking, memorable way.
A genuinely super publication.
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