Music Fairytale Summit

The former US President Bill Clinton and the former USSR President Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorvachev became narrators to read stories to children.

The Russian media reported on the 5th, “The two will read the music story `Peter and a Wolf` that the Russian National Orchestra is producing in English to children with warm heart.” This piece, in which the Italian actress Sophia Lauren participated, will be conducted by the 3-time Grammy winner Kent Nagano.

However, the two former leaders will not record at the same place. The former President Clinton already finished recording with Lauren in Geneva, Switzerland last December, and the former President Gorbachov is planning to record in Moscow on the 10th.

This record, which is planned to be released this spring, is to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of the world famous composer Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev, who wrote this piece.

The `Peter and a Wolf` is a music fairy tale that tells a story of a brave boy Peter, who faced a fierce wolf in a forest, with orchestral music.

The Peter and a Wolf is the first work of Prokofiev after returning to home country (USSR) in 1936 after fleeing out of country in 1917 due to the Bolshevik Revolution.

This piece, which was written to help children to get familiar with orchestral music, was premiered in the Children`s Theater in Moscow. So far, an actor Sean Connelly, and a singer Sting have participated in recording.

In this record, a unique interpretation of trying to understand the wolf will be added. Mr. Nagano said, “You will understand the wolf, who is in despair of watching forests to disappear due to urbanization.”

The production team did not announce that who took the role of Peter and who took the role of the Wolf. The former President Gorbachov is planning to use his performance fee for fund for the international environmental organization, Green Cross International that he established in 1993. It was known that the former President Clinton also use it for the International AIDS Trust, in which he is taking a position as an adviser.

Ki-Hyun Kim kimkihy@donga.com