BRITTEN: YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA; PROKOFIEV: PETER AND THE WOLF - SEAN CONNERY, ANTOL DORATI

So perennial are the texts and music for ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and ‘The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’ that many a celebrity has recorded it. Both works have drawn some of the most famous actors, including Meryl Streep and here, a young Sean Connery (in 1966). It was vividly recorded for Decca’s Phase 4 series, as was, in 1973, Prokofiev’s ‘Lieutenant Kijé’. The lieutenant in question is a creation of bureaucracy, a non-existent character fleshed out with a life to satisfy the curiosity of the Tsar who has misheard a phrase (in Russian, “the lieutenants, however”) as the lieutenant’s name. The suite follows the soldier’s life story from birth through first love and marriage and the famous sleigh-ride in the Troika before finally being put to rest in a fictitious death and burial.

‘the orchestra is in fine form, Dorati seems to be enjoying himself thoroughly and invests the music with all its point and humour without overdoing it … and Sean Connery is an excellent narrator … The recording is splendid in both forms, combining brilliance with warmth and above all else, everything is presented in straightforward style, without misplaced humour or over-dramatisation’ (Peter and the Wolf, Young Person’s Guide) Gramophone

‘an ideal demonstration for hi-fi enthusiasts … Dorati’s performances are dramatic and are well matched by the vivid Phase 4 recording. The Decca sound is spectacular … the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra plays splendidly’ (Lieutenant Kijé) Gramophone

SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67

Sean Connery, narrator
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Antal Dorati

Lieutenant Kijé: Suite

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Antal Dorati

BENJAMIN BRITTEN
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Sean Connery, narrator
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Antal Dorati