The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

The Snowman and Peter and the Wolf: Christmas classics at the Barbican

The Snowman and Peter and the Wolf: Christmas classics at the Barbican | Theatre review
23 December 2012
Melanie Weaver
Avatar
Melanie Weaver
23 December 2012

It’s been 30 years since Raymond Briggs’ Christmas classic The Snowman was first released as an animated film, and 30 years since the Barbican first opened its doors.

What better way to celebrate this joint anniversary than with an exciting double bill of musical storytelling – a showing of The Snowman accompanied by the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, followed by a performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, conducted by Neil Thomson and narrated by Tamsin Grieg (Green Wing, Black Books)?

It’s a rare opportunity to explore how music can add depth to a visual, or conjure one up from scratch in the mind of the listener. Grieg’s lively, witty narration is brilliant for engaging with the audience and she keeps younger viewers enthralled by encouraging them to watch closely for the hidden details in The Snowman, or listen carefully to hear the different animals in Peter and the Wolf.

For the unfamiliar, The Snowman tells the enchanting story of a boy whose snowman comes to life for an evening, causing mischief around his home before taking him on a  journey to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. With its live accompaniment the film really captures the magic of the festive season, delighting children and grown-ups alike. There may well be a few tears during chorister Luke McWatters beautiful solo rendition of Walking in the Air.

In Peter and the Wolf, a picture is painted through music. Written in 1936 as a symphony for children, the colourful characters (grumpy Grandpa, the cunning Cat and brave Peter) provide young listeners with a humorous and exciting introduction to the world of classical music.

The members of the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera create beautiful music with a sense of fun; they are truly relishing being there and performing just as much as the audience enjoy watching. The only negative, as Grieg pointed out at the end, is that now watching it at home, on DVD, will never be the same again!

★★★★★

 Melanie Weaver

The Snowman and Peter and the Wolf are at the Barbican Hall, at 2pm, on 22nd and 23rd December 2012. For further information or to book visit the Barbican website here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Theatre

The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre

★★★★★
Natallia Pearmain
Read More

Dirty Dancing the Movie in concert at Apollo Theatre

★★★★★
Jim Compton-Hall
Read More

My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

“When you’re presented with different dilemmas in life, you respond accordingly”: Debbie Kurup on The Cher Show

Mae Trumata
Read More

2:22 A Ghost Story at Criterion Theatre

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

The House of Shades at Almeida Theatre

★★★★★
Csilla Tornallyay
Read More

Grease at Dominion Theatre

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

House of Ife at Bush Theatre

★★★★★
Selina Begum
Read More

Banter Jar at Lion & Unicorn Theatre: “An authentic and timely one-woman show”

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Albert Adrià reopens Enigma on 7 June as a “fun-dining” restaurant and cocktail bar
    Food & Drinks
  • Paolo Nutini at the 100 Club
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Crimes of the Future: Three new clips from David Cronenberg’s dystopian body horror film
    Cannes
  • The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Plan 75
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • November (Novembre)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Forever Young (Les Amandiers)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • “Ruben is wonderful at picking holes in our behaviour and our egos”: Woody Harrelson, Ruben Östlundand and cast at the Triangle of Sadness press conference
    Cannes Film Festival 2022
  • Summer Scars (Nos Cérémonies)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Holy Spider (Les Nuits de Mashad)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Emergency
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Men
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Triangle of Sadness
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Aftersun
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Paris Memories (Revoir Paris)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Original recipe of the week: Cranberry and Cinnamon Fizz
The Invisible headline John Kennedy’s event in Tooting Tram and Social | Live review