Saturday night’s production of The Snowman and Peter and the Wolf was the perfect way to step into the Christmas season. The cathedral’s enormous Christmas tree formed a gorgeous backdrop for Carrot Productions’ orchestra, dressed for a Christmas dinner social: the strings dressed as Santa and his elves, the brass section as a cheese board, and the wind instruments as an assortment of turkey, Brussels sprouts and even a couple of polar bears.
The performance opened with a selection of Christmas carols to set the mood—Sleigh Ride, Frosty the Snowman, Silent Night, and finally Merry Christmas, ensuring the audience was thoroughly warmed up before the main programme began.
A member of the orchestra then introduced the “characters” of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, each voiced by a different instrument. Peter’s bright, confident theme came from the strings; the bird’s nervous fluttering from the flute; the duck’s waddling from the oboe; and the sly, prowling cat from the clarinet. The bassoon delivered the stern authority of Peter’s Russian grandfather, the timpani for the hunters, and the wolf emerged with a rumbling swell of French horns.
As the orchestra played, a huge screen displayed the production’s animation—created by Georgian 2D animators and directed by Tsotne Rusishvili—perfectly synchronised with the musicians. The accompaniment was so seamless you almost forgot the live orchestra was sitting just below the screen.
The tale unfolded, narrated by the orchestra’s double bassist, following Peter and his animal companions as they are tormented by the threatening wolf. The animation captured each moment: the clarinet’s flourish as the cat scrambles up a tree; the flute’s anxious chirping as the bird hovers just out of reach; the duck swallowed whole and pacing sadly inside the wolf’s belly. Ignoring his grandfather’s warnings, Peter races to rescue his friends. He instructs the bird to fly circles around the wolf to confuse him, then lassoes the creature’s tail, hauling him into the air with all his might. When the hunters finally appear, anxious for their prize, Peter implores them to leave the wolf alone. Instead, he suggests they take the wolf to a zoo, and the entire procession marches triumphantly onward as the orchestra gathers in a jubilant reprise of the main theme.
During the interlude, the Snowman himself appeared to perform The Snowman waltz up the aisles, delighting all the children in the audience and setting the tone nicely for the main event.
Then the piano began the first familiar notes of Walking in the Air as the familiar fuzzy cartoon appeared. The snowy landscapes, soft colour palette and gentle movement was filled with nostalgia —almost every frame looked like it could be printed on a Christmas card. The audience watched as young James woke to find the world transformed overnight. The orchestra brought his joy to life, reminding the audience of their own childhood memories of snow days and the fun of building a snowman never knowing how long the snow would last.
Unable to sleep, James checks obsessively on his creation—just in time to witness the Snowman come to life at midnight in a magical burst of music. The pair creep inside, where James introduces his new friend to household wonders: light switches, the television, and
dressing up in his parents’ clothes and makeup. At one point they even take a joyride on James’s father’s motorbike, adding an edge of rebellion to their adventure.
Then it is the Snowman’s turn to show James his home. The instruments swell into the full, soaring version of Walking in the Air as the two lift into the night sky, sweeping over Brighton Pier, the ocean, sleepy villages and drifting icebergs. The flight is as breathtaking and nostalgic as ever.
At the North Pole, the pair join a lively gathering of snowmen who sing, dance and celebrate alongside Father Christmas, their guest of honour. Before James returns home, Santa presents him with an early Christmas gift: a scarf decorated with tiny snowmen. Exhausted by the night’s adventure, James collapses into bed. But in the morning he wakes to an anti0climactiv disappointment — the Snowman has melted, leaving nothing but the scarf as proof of their magical journey. The production closed with a bitter sweet reprise of Walking in the Air, leaving everyone with a sense of childhood nostalgia.
From start to finish the performance was a wonderful experience, bringing both of the timeless stories back to life and leaving everyone with a merry Christmas feeling. It was the perfect way to get into the Christmas mood and would be a definite recommendation for anybody next year!
Image: Tom Bangbala