Peter and The Wolf - A ballet to delight young fans

Greg Horsman’s Peter and The Wolf is a retelling of a beloved tale, featuring dancers in colourful costumes paired with a dynamic musical score.

Composed as an introduction to the orchestra for children, this lively production fits perfectly with Queensland Ballet’s ‘My First Ballet series’. Queensland Ballet Artistic Director Li Cunxin AO said this production will be a beautiful way for families to introduce their young ones to the world of ballet.

“We are so excited to bring this new production of Peter and the Wolf to the stage. The choreography, costumes and set have been brought together to skilfully tell this tale in a way that will appeal to both children and adults” said Mr Li.

Peter and the Wolf will be performed by Queensland Ballet’s Jette Parker Young Artists in association with the 2021 Brisbane Festival at The Judith Wright Arts Centre.

“The Jette Parker Young Artists have been working alongside our in-house choreographer Greg Horsman to bring this delightful tale to life. They’ve all embraced it with enthusiasm, and we are looking forward to showcasing the talent with in QB’s junior ranks,” he concluded.

Horsman took a few liberties to extend the story, which has been given a modern twist and includes a scouting adventure with Peter and his scoutmaster grandfather to the zoo.

“He’s collaborated with inhouse Queensland Ballet creatives, including Music Director Nigel Gaynor who arranged the score, Noelene Hill who designed costumes, Ben Hughes on lighting, and external set designer, Josh Mcintosh of Little Green Road to Fairyland fame,” said Mr Li.

Original score composer Sergei Prokofiev’s music lends itself to dance, from the trilling of the flute as the bird, to the grumpy bassoon for the grandfather. Horsman's challenge has been to add to the story to create a 50-minute-long production.

“After I’d settled on what I wanted to do with the storyline, I needed more music. I wanted to use Prokofiev because he had written the original Peter and the Wolf suite,” Mr Horsman said.

“I did a lot of research and found that Prokofiev had composed another suite Music for children, the year prior to Peter and the Wolf. It was a piano score, and I found the music within this suite fitted perfectly with my new storyline.

“My process is, I spend a lot of time sorting out the music, putting it into an order and then I take it to Nigel (Gaynor) to arrange into a small ensemble,” said Mr Horsman.

Queensland Ballet’s production will feature a live woodwind quintet, a violin, a piano and a percussionist performed by students from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music at Griffith University.

The ballet pays homage to the 1960 season of Peter and the Wolf, choreographed by Queensland Ballet Founder and former Artistic Director, Charles Lisner OBE.

Peter and the Wolf will run from 16-25th September at the Judith Wright Arts Centre and is suitable for all ages.

To purchase tickets, visit https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/whats-on/2021/peter-and-the-wolf