Peter and the Wolf / L'Enfant et les Sortileges

Two charming studio films with juvenile appeal—Peter and the Wolf and L'Enfant et les Sortilèges—are reissued together here. The first, a 1997 adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev's familiar guide to the orchestra, with various instruments portraying fairy tale characters, is transformed by Matthew Hart into a delightful ballet featuring Anthony Dowell as the storyteller/grandfather, along with the children of the Royal Ballet School, together with the Royal Opera House Orchestra under Paul Murphy. The story revolves around a naughty child named Peter, who ventures into the woods, encounters a wolf that has swallowed a duck, and through a series of clever maneuvers takes action that leads to a happy ending. Charming choreography, a simple but effective set, and excellent camerawork combine to make this mounting of the popular piece a pleasing production. L'Enfant et les Sortilèges (1986), a ballet adapted by Jirí Kylián from Maurice Ravel's opera, with a libretto by Colette, features another mischievous boy, who rebels against his mother and instead of doing his homework wreaks havoc upon the objects in his room before seeking refuge in the garden, where various elements come to life and take revenge, after which the lad learns his lesson and is forgiven for his misbehavior. With its magical sets and fantasy costuming, this enchanting work featuring the Nederlands Dans Theater and Orchestre National de Paris under Lorin Maazel easily fulfills the creative director's hope that the audience should feel “like it is looking into a childhood book that was lost for a long time.” Highly recommended. (J. Reed)