Prokofiev
Bertagnolli, Stella

Gemma Bertagnolli, soprano and narrator

Alessandro Stella, piano

Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953)

Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67 (version for speaking voice and piano)

25' | Admission included with museum ticket

Created in 1936 with the aim of introducing younger audiences to the orchestra, Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67 reveals itself as a masterpiece of rare formal refinement, capable of captivating listeners of all ages through its irony and transparency. Within the apparent simplicity of the fairy tale, Prokofiev discovered a space of expressive freedom that also allowed him to circumvent the pressures of the Soviet regime. The narrative is built upon a rigorous structure in which each character is associated with a leitmotif and a specific timbre: a true sonic script, immediately recognizable.

In this version for speaking voice and piano, the narrator is not an external element but an integral part of the composition itself — a voice woven into the score with precise rhythmic placement. Alessandro Stella’s piano replaces the orchestra through a skillful interplay of registers and articulation: the high octaves evoke the bird, the lyrical phrasing in the middle register suggests the duck, while the low registers and deep chords convey the threatening presence of the wolf. The narration is entrusted to Gemma Bertagnolli, an extraordinary voice and one of the artistic souls of Trame Sonore.

In this more intimate dimension, the voice can explore subtle and whispered nuances without having to compete with the weight of the orchestra. The reduction thus highlights the melodic writing of Prokofiev, leaving it entirely to the listener’s imagination to reconstruct the colors of the orchestra.

Text by Martina Sangermano