Album insights
"Peter and the Wolf" by Prokofiev is transformed into a 21st-century masterpiece with a new rendition of the children's classic titled "Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood." Created by the successful New York-based company Giants Are Small in collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon, this musical fairytale, turning 80 next year, will now resonate with a fresh twist as it shifts the original 1936 Russian tale to modern-day California. The production, not only released as an album, will also be available as an interactive app for children on iTunes. Adding a rock touch to the iconic piece, the new version features narration by rockstars Campino for the German rendition and Alice Cooper for the English version. They join a prestigious lineup of narrators, including Sting, David Bowie, Sean Connery, Christopher Lee, Loriot, Otto, Karlheinz Böhm, and Peter Ustinov. Giants Are Small, recognized for its unconventional approach, has blended theater, film, puppetry, and classical music in imaginative stage shows. The revamp of "Peter and the Wolf" saw hand-crafted models created in Brooklyn studios according to designs by Doug Fitch. These models were photographed and brought to life by filmmaker/producer Edouard Getaz. Following this, Fitch illustrated each character, and a team of graphic artists seamlessly integrated the drawings into the photos. In New York, Getaz and Fitch skillfully integrated sound effects into the orchestral music. The album was recorded by Deutsche Grammophon with the prestigious Bundesjugendorchester, under the direction of renowned conductor Alexander Shelley.