(On general release from 25th January 2019 on Spartacus Records)
Leading Scots actor Tam Dean Burn joins the SNJO to create a wildly vivid jazz version of a hugely popular classical favourite: Serge Prokofieff ’s cautionary fable of Peter and the Wolf. On the brand new CD, his wonderful music is woven around an expressive monologue performed largely in the Scots vernacular, expertly adapted from the original by former Scots Poet Laureate (Makar), Liz Lochhead.
Peter and the Wolf is widely adored as a children’s classic that uses the power of music to enhance the telling of a dramatic tale. This new interpretation of Prokofieff ’s enduring work, meticulously arranged and orchestrated by Tommy Smith, is full of fresh ideas and thematically developed from 30 minutes into a 64 minute work, and remains true to the composer’s much-loved musical characterizations.
Tam Dean Burn is a respected and versatile actor, familiar to theatre, television and cinema audiences. His most notable film roles include appearances in The Outlaw King, War Horse and Perfect Sense. Liz Lochhead has long been a leading light in literature from Scotland, both as a poet and a playwright of distinction. Her plays include the box office hits Mary Queen of Scots Got Her head Chopped Off and Perfect Days. A Choosing: The Selected Poetry of Liz Lochhead , published in 2011, was described by the Scottish Review of Books as a ‘career-defining anthology.’
Prokofieff’s richly ingenious score is rewritten here in the language of jazz by one of the nation’s most daring and imaginative big bands. This live recording, captured at the Queens Hall in Edinburgh, also features Makoto Ozone, an acclaimed pianist internationally admired for his achievements in both jazz and classical music.
Widely praised for its sly wit and meticulous musicianship, the SNJO’s Peter and the Wolf is a musical treat for all ages, and a timely reminder that great music can also be irresistible fun.