David Bowie Narrates Peter and the Wolf

iTunes Review

Nothing says “cool parent” like having 1978 David Bowie read Sergei Prokofiev’s classic 1936 fable Peter and the Wolf to your children. Even though Bowie’s spoken-word parts come in at just under 30 minutes, his animated delivery and articulate performance of this wonderful musical narrative is nothing short of perfect—especially in the beginning, when he explains to his young listeners how each musical instrument correlates to the story’s seven characters. It’s also difficult to imagine a better accompaniment than that of Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra (most notably the string section’s lilting and whimsical approximation of the story’s protagonist Peter and the French horns’ foreboding tones that represent the wolf). Bowie’s elegant inflections are an excellent companion to the rich tones, playful notes, and darkened moods. The story is followed by two bonus discs’ worth of material; first The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (which strips it down in sections) and then The Nutcracker Suite.