Peter and the Wolf / Wolf Tracks

- On Hybrid Super Audio CD (SACD) format, presented in full 5.1 surround sound! PLAYABLE ON ANY CD SYSTEM

DSD recorded

Screen legend Sophia Loren and former presidents Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev are narrators on the latest CD from the Russian National Orchestra (RNO). The PentaTone Classics release features Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and a new composition, Wolf Tracks by Jean-Pascal Beintus. The project was conceived by the RNO and developed under the artistic direction of Kent Nagano, who also conducts on the recording.

Nagano joined the RNO's prestigious Conductor Collegium in 2000 and this is the first of several recordings that are part of their collaboration. Said Nagano, "The entire project team was extraordinary, tied together by the rare combination of creative vision and inspired artistry."

The RNO commissioned French composer Jean-Pascal Beintus to write the score of Wolf Tracks and selected award winning American broadcast writer Walt Kraemer to create the accompanying text. "This is a truly international endeavor and a model of cooperation also relevant to wildlife preservation, a complex issue that transcends national boundaries," stated RNO chief executive Sergei Markov.

Wolf Tracks, narrated by Bill Clinton, engagingly delivers its modern environmental message to cherish and protect natural resources. Said Mikhail Gorbachev, "In Prokofiev's classic, man dominates, but Wolf Tracks expresses quite different values of balance and tolerance. All of us hope for a future where these values are lived every day."

Gorbachev sets the stage for both pieces in a Prologue, Intermezzo and Epilogue. Sophia Loren narrates Peter and the Wolf and of her involvement she said, "I first heard the RNO some years ago and welcomed the opportunity to collaborate artistically with this remarkable orchestra. It has been such a pleasure."

All three narrators have designated charities to receive their royalties. "I am very pleased to be part of this project," said President Clinton, "and I support the Russian National Orchestra's decision to use the CD to raise money for charitable causes, including the International Aids Trust (IAT), which works to mobilize leadership and resources for the global fight against HIV/AIDS. As the Co-Chair of the Advisory Board of IAT, I'm glad that this very worthy organization will receive my royalties, and we all look forward to the day when HIV/AIDS is history, instead of a threat to our future."

Loren has chosen the Magic of Music, an arts therapy program sponsored by the RNO. "The Magic of Music reaches out to children in Moscow's orphanages and residential homes for the disabled, bringing them artists and art teachers, musicians and music," said Loren. "Special children like these truly capture my heart and I am grateful for the chance to touch their lives."
The art on the CD's cover and booklet was selected from the program's annual How I See Music exhibition in Moscow.

Green Cross International, which Gorbachev founded in 1993, will benefit from his participation in this project. He said, "Green Cross International is an organization that aims to foster and sustain harmony between mankind and the environment. I am donating my royalties in support of its mission and programs worldwide."

Proceeds from the CDs sales will also be shared with the New York-based Wolf Conservation Center.