A Wolf...

I'll always be grateful to my parents for instilling me with a love of classical music. Of course, when I was young, I had no idea that Swan Lake and The Nutcracker (to name a few) were stunning pieces of musical genius; I simply enjoyed the "princess stories." And therein lay the real cleverness of my parents: they got me hooked early on.

I was reminiscing the other day about one musical piece in particular: Peter and the Wolf. Mom and Dad bought me a Disney book + tape combo, so I could listen to the music while following the book (via classic Disney-esque illustrations).

I will never forget my childhood fascination with this piece, and to this day, I LOVE listening through Peter's little adventure. Its real beauty is contained within the story, told entirely through music. Each character is so expertly personified by instruments, that it's easy to forget that the only speaking character is the narrator. THAT is an example of art as substance: while the narrator is necessary to establish a frame of reference, the music tells the real story.

I've been reliving part of my childhood the last few days by listening to this wonderful little story, told through music. I added it to my playlist so feel free to join in!