[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n the morning of May 30, Sunday, the Coliseu Porto Ageas presents the musical tale “Pedro e o Lobo”, the first concert of the new life of the Promenade Concerts. With the artistic direction of maestro Cesário Costa, comments by musicologist Jorge Castro Ribeiro and a multimedia component created by designer Sara Botelho, the cycle of the new Promenade Concerts 2.0 has seven shows until the end of the year, always with a surprise for the audience.
In the premiere, the narration of “Pedro e o Lobo” will be done live by the comedian and actor Bruno Nogueira. The music will be performed by the Espinho Classical Orchestra. The multimedia component completes the concept, transporting viewers to the environment of the work and the composer.
“Pedro e o Lobo” is a story that is told through music composed in 1936 by Sergei Prokofiev, and that has become one of the best-known works of the Russian composer. Based on Aesop’s fable, it was written for narrator and orchestra with the pedagogical objective of making known the sounds of the various musical instruments.
Each character in the story – Pedro, the wolf, the grandfather, the bird, the duck, the cat and the hunters – is represented in the orchestra by a different instrument, showing the differences and the rich sound of the woodwind, strings and percussion , while sharpening the public’s imagination. The music punctuates and alternates with the narration, coloring every detail of the story until the grand finale.
Introduced in Portugal by the Coliseu in 2005, in its various seasons until 2014, the Promenade Concerts attracted 130 thousand spectators. Now they return with the same artistic team and a contemporary vision, to provide a playful experience for families, young people and children, who, once a month, on Sunday morning, will be able to discover the secrets and curiosities of an eclectic repertoire of concerts and commented dance shows, with the participation of several orchestras.
In an informal setting, the Promenade Concerts 2.0 will highlight, until December 19, aspects and details of national and international works such as “Pedro e o Lobo” by Prokofiev, “Rhapsody in Blue” by Gershwin, the story “The Ark of the Treasure” by Alice Vieira with music by Eurico Carrapatoso, Lotte Reiniger’s “Cinderella”, songs from the world that have become famous, and other melodies and stories.
A return much requested by the spectators, whose tradition the Coliseu Porto Ageas proposes to resume in the year in which it marks its 80th anniversary, and which again counts on the support of the Porto City Council.
