Recess! Media

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You’re hearing the Irish singer, Gavin Friday, narrating the opening for a new version of the old Prokofiev standard, “Peter and the Wolf.” Friday and his cohorts in the Friday-Seezer Ensemble have given children a far darker and at the same time far more vibrant setting of this archetypal, introduction-to-the-orchestra piece.

Well, it’s actually a different kind of orchestra than we’re used to hearing play this music — there’s an accordion, a banjo (which sounds like a slack-strung balalaika), and a drum set that sometimes seems to include the tin lid of a trash can and an Irish tambour. All the creatures who eventually combine to help Peter catch the wolf are here — the bird, the duck, and a very, very sly cat:

Brief sound clip

There’s even a book, with illustrations by the rock artist Bono, to accompany this delicious, glimmering music. I can mix my metaphors all day to sing the praises of this energized, triumphant recording.

Brief sound clip