Review: ADELAIDE FESTIVAL 2017: PETER AND THE WOLF at Adelaide Festival Theatre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Saturday 11th March 2017

Who could possibly resist the chance to hear Miriam Margolyes narrating Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf? Certainly not me. That item, though, was saved until last, with three other gems from the repertoire ahead of it. Director, Naomi Edwards, has captured the fun, family atmosphere that is needed for this concert and attracted an audience of all ages. The combination of the music, the narration, and humour had even the smallest, youngest members silent throughout, listening intently to every word and note.

The evening began with Leos Janácek's delightful suite from his opera, The Cunning Little Vixen. This is one that I would dearly love to see our State Opera Company add to their programme sometime soon, having only ever seen recorded productions.

Out came Margolyes, to much applause, to welcome the audience and introduce the work, suggesting what orchestral sounds to listen for that would be representing birds, insects, the vixen, of course, and the forester. She then retired to the high wing-backed arm chair alongside which were a side table with a tea cup, and lit by a standard lamp. He she sat, listening with obvious pleasure, to the music.

The music, naturally, was provided by the excellent musicians of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, conducted for this concert by their Principal Conductor, Nicholas Carter. Janácek condenses his opera into slightly over fifteen minutes of beautiful, evocative music, and the orchestra more than did it justice.

For her first narration of the evening Margolyes was given one of the best known teaching pieces, Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, variations on a theme by Purcell, a guided tour through the many instruments of a symphony orchestra. Again, she was smiling constantly as she spoke the rather humorous rhymes, breaking down the orchestra into sections, then into individual instruments, and then putting it all back together.

This is a piece that leaves all players exposed during their solo sections or playing in sections for very small parts of the ensemble, and so every player has to be at the top of their profession, and that is exactly what we have with this orchestra. Internationally recognised, the orchestra attracts major conductors, which helps them improve even more all the time. It really is a world class orchestra, and their annual programmes are packed solidly with the most diverse concerts.

Alexander Borodin's Polovtsian Dances, from the end of Act II of his opera, Prince Igor, adds a touch of exoticism to the programme, with themes that many in the audience would have instantly recognised. Although there is no narration to explain who is playing what and why, it does, like the other works, display the huge range of sounds that an orchestra can make, and the effects that the many timbres have in conveying ideas and emotions.

Margolyes returned, to vast applause, to narrate the title piece of the evening, Peter and the Wolf. Each of the themes are first introduced so that we know when the wolf, duck, cat, and bird appear, as well as Peter, hid grandfather, and the guns of the hunters. She had the audience in the palm of her hand and the orchestra captivated everybody with the excitement of their playing. It was a sensational finish to the evening.

It almost goes without saying that the enormous applause at the end of this work, and the concert, brought Margolyes and Carter back to the stage several times, with the orchestra being called upon to take a number of well-deserved bows. There were so many happy, smiling faces in the foyer as the audience filed out and, no doubt, the evening will be fondly recalled later.

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