WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW ANIMATED PETER AND THE WOLF FILM
WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE BY THE PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA
Saturday 23 September 2006 at the Royal Albert Hall
Sponsored by Uniastrum Capital Limited
An exciting new British animated film of Peter and the Wolf will receive its worldwide premiere at The Royal  Albert Hall on the evening of Saturday 23 September. The premiere will be a special cinema and live music event as the Philharmonia Orchestra will perform Prokofiev’s classic score alongside this first showing of the film, conducted by musical director, Mark Stephenson. The film is produced by BreakThru Films and directed by BAFTA winning director, Suzie Templeton. The soundtrack has also been recorded by the Philharmonia Orchestra.
The film marks the 70 th anniversary since Prokofiev wrote the music and text for this much loved story which captures the hearts of those aged 7 to 70. The Philharmonia Orchestra’s gala concert will also feature the dynamic pianist, Hélène Grimaud, playing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Tickets are available from The Royal Albert Hall Box Office on 020 7589 8212, www.royalalberthall.com . Prices range from £38 to £10.
David Whelton, Managing Director of the Philharmonia Orchestra, commented:
“This exciting opportunity to combine live music and a worldwide premiere of an innovative animated film of Peter and the Wolf is a project that builds on the Philharmonia Orchestra’s commitment to bring classical music, and in particular live performance, to new audiences in a fresh and dynamic form. The traditional story is vividly animated with a contemporary approach and the score remains a perfect introduction to the orchestra and its individual instruments.
“But this is much more than an educational project. It will bring back fond childhood memories for us all and celebrates the richness of Prokofiev’s wonderful music enjoyed by young and old alike, 70 years on from its first performance in Moscow.”
The film uses stop-frame model animation (a technique popularized by Wallace and Gromit creators Aardman Animations) made at the Oscar winning Se-Ma-For animation studios in Poland using cutting edge digital techniques. Whilst staying true to Prokofiev’s classic story the film provides some 21 st century twists and an environmental theme. Producer Alan Dewhurst describes their search for animators: “The work of Se-Ma-For really jumped out at us: aesthetically and in their level of craft and artistry, it was exactly what we were looking for.” Filming in Se-Ma-For’s Polish studios echoes the eastern European origins of the story and truly captures the magic of Prokofiev’s script.
The film’s director, Suzie Templeton, has won over 30 international awards and a Best Animation BAFTA Award for her short film Dog. Peter and the Wolf is produced by Alan Dewhurst and Hugh Welchman at BreakThru Films. Welchman’s film Crowstone won the Cinefoundation Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He has also produced two films for and starring the Monty Python team. Dewhurst previously set up and ran Europe’s leading commercials animation company Passion Pictures. BreakThru Films has since made four award-winning short films and a feature-length documentary. Oscar-winning Se-Ma-For Studios in Poland has made over 1,400 films and won over 300 international awards.
Mark Stephenson, musical director and conductor at the premiere, is well known for his innovative approach to classical music and in particular educational and multi-media classical music ventures. Highlights include the Miracles Project with 500 young Londoners filmed at the Royal Albert Hall by London Weekend Television , and the Image Music Text project inspired by the GPO documentary film Nightmail, performed with live orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. He has also conducted 18 critically acclaimed CDs with the orchestra he established, London Musici, which is the associate orchestra for the internationally acclaimed Rambert Dance Company.
Hélène Grimaud was born in Aix-en-Provence and has performed worldwide with leading orchestras and conductors. She has been highly praised for her interpretation of the Rachmaninov, which she will perform on 23 September. Her latest CD Reflection with Deutsche Grammophon featuring works by Brahms and both Robert and Clara Schumann, has received widespread critical acclaim. She is also well known for the Wolf Conservation Centre that she established in 1999 in South Salem, just north of New York, and is the author of two books that have been at the top of the best seller lists in her native France. An English edition, “Something Wild” is due to be published here later this year.
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