Windsor Symphony Orchestra Releases New Children's CD

The Windsor Symphony Orchestra conducted by music director John Morris Russell has just released its second commercial CD -- "Peter and the Wolf & Last Minute Lulu". The story of Peter and the Wolf and the musical voices which tell Prokofiev's classic tale have captured children's imaginations for generations.

As narrated by the internationally acclaimed actor, Colm Feore, the story comes to life for a new generation. The disk includes a new work for orchestra and narrator -- Last Minute Lulu -- Author and narrator Christopher Paul Curtis as the winner of both the Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Medal, has become one of the most important voices in children's literature today. The charming score for Last Minute Lulu was composed by Brent Lee, a Canadian musician, scholar and educator.

This CD is available for purchase at all Windsor Symphony Orchestra concerts, the WSO office (487 Ouellette Avenue) and at the Uncommon Market, Art Gallery of Windsor or call (519) 973-1238 ext. 31 to order by phone. Price: $25.

Peter and the Wolf

When Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf premiered in 1936, it met with limited critical and popular success. In the composer's own words: "Attendance was poor; it failed to attract much attention." Indeed, he could hardly have anticipated that this piece would become a beloved staple of orchestras and listeners of all ages.

Prokofiev created the tale and accompanying score as a means of introducing the orchestra as a whole, and several individual instruments, to his young audience. The story begins as Peter steps out of the gate to the green meadow, as his theme, full of childlike innocence and wonder, is played by the strings. Peter sees his friend, the little bird, intoned by the flute, and a duck, played by an oboe, who has followed Peter from the yard. Soon, Peter is aware of another visitor: the cat! The clarinet's tones paint a sly, clever picture of this character. In the midst of all of this, the gruff tones of the bassoon introduce Grandfather, as he lectures Peter on the dangers of the world beyond the gate. As Grandfather leads a recalcitrant Peter back into the house, the wolf appears; the French horns convey its ominous presence. The wolf is quickly on the duck, and following a brief chase, swallows her! Seeing the plight of his friends, Peter sets out to help.

Enlisting the aid of the bird, he traps the wolf, tying a strong rope around its tail. At that moment, the hunters arrive, in a hurry of bumbling brass and thundering timpani. Peter forestalls their wrath, and convinces the hunters to take the wolf to the zoo. The ensuing march brings all of the characters, and indeed all of the orchestra, together in a triumphant procession.

Last Minute Lulu

Last Minute Lulu is the comical story of a girl who is late for everything, but has to overcome her tardiness to pass the Big Study Assessment Test and continue into fourth grade. With text by Christopher Paul Curtis and music by Brent Lee, Lulu's surprising and humorous adventures are set to a relaxed and jazzy orchestral score that matches the playful tone of the narration. The work was commissioned by the WSO with the aid of the Ontario Arts Council.

Colm Feore, Narrator, Peter and the Wolf

Colm Feore has become one of Canada's leading actors. A veteran of the prestigious Stratford Festival of Canada since 1991, his stage credits include Coriolanus, Fagin (Oliver!), Don Juan, Hamlet, Romeo, Richard III, Iago (Othello) and Henry Higgins (My Fair Lady). In 2005 he played Cassius opposite Denzel
Washington in Julius Caesar on Broadway, and received the St. Clair Bayfield Award for his performance. Mr. Feore has appeared in over 35 films, including The Red Violin, Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (for which he received a Genie nomination), Face/Off, City of Angels, Paycheck, The Sum of All Fears, and the Academy Awardwinning Chicago. Mr. Feore's television credits include Trudeau (for which he received Gemini and Monte Carlo Television Festival awards), The West Wing, Boston Public, Nuremburg, Benjamin Franklin, Napoleon and a starring turn as Julius Caesar in ABC's mini-series Empire.

Christopher Paul Curtis, Author & Narrator, Last Minute Lulu

Christopher Paul Curtis is one of the most important voices in children's literature today. Born in Flint, Michigan, he spent his first 13 years after high school on the assembly line of Flint's historic Fisher Body Plant No. 1. His job entailed hanging car doors, and it left him with an aversion to getting into and out of large automobiles.

Curtis' writing, and his dedication to it, has been greatly influenced by his family members, particularly his wife, Kaysandra. With grandfathers like Earl "Lefty" Lewis, a Negro Baseball League pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, it is easy to see why Christopher Paul Curtis was destined to become an entertainer.

Christopher Paul Curtis made an outstanding debut in children's literature with The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. His second novel, Bud, Not Buddy, is the first book ever to receive both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.

Brent Lee, Composer, Last Minute Lulu

Brent Lee is among the new generation of significant Canadian composers. Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, he served as Composer in-Residence with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra from 2003 to 2006 with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. During his tenure with the WSO he created nine compositions for the orchestra, including his first symphony, Chorea. His compositions range from orchestral music to electroacoustic pieces, and include jazz, dance and incidental music. Mr. Lee's work has been performed and broadcast internationally, and has appeared on the Centrediscs, Arktos, McGill, Artifact, BEAMS, Shelan, Clef and Unical CD labels. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Music at the University of Windsor.

John Morris Russell, Music Director, Windsor Symphony Orchestra

Maestro John Morris Russell has consistently won international praise for his gift to make extraordinary music and to make a difference. Since his appointment as Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in 2001, Mr. Russell has ushered in a new era of unprecedented artistic growth, has championed the works of some of Canada's most illustrious composers and conducted thirty-two world premieres of commissioned compositions.

As a guest conductor, Mr. Russell has led many of North America's most distinguished ensembles, including the orchestras of Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Toronto, and the New York Philharmonic. Maestro Russell has been associated with Carnegie Hall in New York City since 1997, where he conducts the Orchestra of St. Luke's in the "LinkUP!" concert series, as well as Carnegie Hall's family concert series.

By www.windsorsymphony.com