Peter and the Wolf

The enduringly popular work by Sergei Prokofiev is adapted here with admirable aesthetic cohesion by 24 year old choreographer Matthew Hart, and performed by dancers in training with the Royal Ballet, as the Company's Director, Sir Anthony Dowell, one of the very finest artists with the Royal during the last half of the twentieth century, serves as narrator and as the cast's Grandfather in an engaging performance recorded at Covent Garden. Staging is uncomplicated and is distinguished by effective lighting, each craft increasing the impact of Hart's able use of engraved line for the young dancers, designed to capture the attention of an equally young audience, and Prokofiev's orchestral colour is aptly appropriated, with its varied descriptive moods conveyed by Hart for the purposes of dance. The composer's score provides but a limited number of conceivable balletic roles: Peter, his Grandfather, the Wolf, Bird, Cat, and Duck, yet Hart in a master stroke has deployed small groups of dancers to embody abstractions of a forest, a meadow, a wall, and a pond, while Royal Ballet Junior School boys are depicted as bespectacled huntsmen. These latter exhibit the only ragged dancing in the film, while Martin Harvey, one year into the Upper School, displays a good deal of fluency, thereby tendering the work's central performance as the Wolf, while Dowell, completing dilatory enveloping arabesques with a walking stave, creates a correctly personal interpretation in his role as Peter's Grandfather in this delicious film that must certainly garner approval from viewers of all ages. A DVD version provides no extras, but is excellent in every other manner.

This isn't really helped by the sterile staging, but a combination of performances from the Royal Ballet School and the timeless score from Sergei Prokofiev made for an enjoyable reminisce of watching and listening to this adventure when I was young. It's narrated by Royal Ballet star Sir Anthony Dowell (who also doubles up as the grandfather) and stars the capable David Johnson in the title role. He lives with his grandad in the woods along with a bird, a duck and a cat. They are all usually teasing and chasing each other until the arrival of a menacing wolf (Martin Harvey) who is intent on gobbling them all up. Can they manage to keep one step ahead of their predatory visitor until the hunters arrive? You'll remember that the composer associated each character with their own instrument from the orchestra and as the story develops, that musical genius plays out really quite well. Sir Anthony's storytelling does just enough and it's easy to see potential here amongst the young dancers - individually and in ensemble. In many ways this is like a filmed version of a dress rehearsal, and kept in mind that doesn't detract too much from the talent on display - for eyes and ears.

Ever since I was a little girl, I grew up learning and loving the story of Peter and the Wolf and the music by Prokoviev. My favourite versions are the 1946 Disney short and this ballet version which I slightly prefer. The ballet version is wonderful, it still has the obligatory narration and the endearing characters while throwing some skillful choreography into the mix.

The story is timeless, there are not many characters, but these characters are likable as they are unique. The choreography is efficient, with suitably balletic movements for the duck, bird and cat and threatening gestures from the sinister wolf for example.

And of course Prokoviev's music is outstanding. I love how each character has their own instruments, strings for Peter, flute for bird, oboe for duck, clarinet for cat, bassoon for grandfather, 3 french horns for wolf and kettledrums for the hunters. Even the production values are great, the costumes are lovely not only with the principals but also with the pond and the meadow too.

The dancing is equally adept, David Johnson is the charming and likable Peter and he does well and Elizabeth Holliday is wonderful as the slinky and cunning cat, while Layla Harrison and Karan Lingham are great as bird and duck. Sir Anthony Dowell is an imposing and charismatic grandmother, while Martin Harvey especially stands out in a genuinely frightening performance as the wolf.

Overall, a great childhood favourite that I still enjoy. 10/10 Bethany Cox