Adelaide Festival

Festival Review: Peter and the Wolf

The absolutely marvellous Miriam Margolyes joined forces with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra to provide an evening of musical magic

Presented by Adelaide Festival in association with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Reviewed 11 March 2017

The evening began with an introduction by the marvellous Miriam Margolyes, and Nicholas Carter leading the wonderful ASO in a piece by Leos Janacek called The Cunning Little Vixen, a good starter but not a patch on what was to come. Margolyes’ narration of Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra was delightful and this very special work gives every part of the orchestra the chance to shine. Even if you are familiar with the sections of the orchestra, it is lovely to pay attention to each instrument and see how they all fit together to make a miraculous whole.

After the interval the real magic began. Playing Alexander Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances. the orchestra displayed why it has such an excellent reputation. The opening section brings memories of Stranger in Paradise from Kismet, but the piece has a lot more to offer musically. The sheer passion of these dances is transporting. The conductor, Nicholas Carter, is mesmerizing as he leads the orchestra through this. He conducts with his whole body and you can feel the music with him; inspiring

Finally we get what everyone is waiting for, and Margolyes leads us willingly through the forest to Peter and the Wolf. Miriam has a way with narration that keeps the entire audience hanging on the edge of their seat. With Carter treating her as another instrument to be brought in on time, the story is beautifully told. The whole program has been well directed by Naomi Edwards and beautifully lit by Nigel Levings and there could not be a more perfect venue for this production.

If I had any doubt about the influence of Ms Margolyes or the ASO, I had only to look at the smiling faces of the younger audience members as they left. This convinced me that introducing children to music should be undertaken as early as possible.

Reviewed by Fran Edwards
Twitter: @franeds

Season ended

 

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