This December, Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents two holiday programs - a new production of PETER & THE WOLF and the annual free Holiday Concert. In what the New York Times calls "a new holiday tradition," this year's ten live performances of Sergei Prokofiev's charming children's classic, PETER & THE WOLF, will combine the visual and the performing arts. In a way this beloved story has never been presented before, renowned fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi narrates and George Manahan conducts the Juilliard Ensemble. Works & Process has commissioned artist Jason Hackenwerth to create an installation of mobile sculptures, formed out of thousands of balloons to represent all the characters as well as the pond and the tree described in the story. Following the performance in the Peter B. Lewis Theater at the Guggenheim, the audience is invited to view the installation on the stage. A PETER & THE WOLF preview video can be viewed at youtube.com/worksandprocess.
The annual free Holiday Concert will be performed in the museum rotunda and features the Vox Vocal Ensemble, led by conductor George Steel.
PETER & THE WOLF
Performances on December 10, 11, 16-18 at 2:30 and 4 pm
Narrator: Isaac Mizrahi
Art Installation: Jason Hackenwerth
Conductor: George Manahan with the Juilliard Ensemble
In 1936, Prokofiev was commissioned to write a light-hearted piece for children that would introduce the instruments and sounds of the orchestra. Peter & the Wolf was the result, and the story tells how young Peter, against his grandfather's will, opens the backyard gate, ventures into the big green meadow, and ultimately manages to liberate the village from the scary wolf. Peter captures the wolf with the help of his animal friends and hands him over to the hunters, with the specific request to take the wolf to the zoo. The music is sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by adults, and its moral-you can't be a hero if you don't take risks-delights children as it must have cheered the Russian composer. Each character in the story is represented by an instrument or instrumental family. The narrator reads the story between the musical sections. Past Peter & the Wolf productions by Works & Process featured sets designed by AnDrew Scott Ross, the Campana Brothers, YA/YA (Young Aspirations/Young Artists), and Rei Sato of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., the art Production Company of Takashi Murakami.
Performances held at the Peter B. Lewis Theater:
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Enter via ramp at 5th Avenue and 88th Street
Subway - 4, 5, 6 train to 86th Street
Bus - M1, M2, M3, or M4 bus on Madison or Fifth Avenue
Tickets: $35, $30 members
Recommended for children ages 5 and older
Box Office: 212 423 3587, Mon-Fri, 1-5 pm or visit worksandprocess.org
PETER & THE WOLF: A Family Affair!
Saturday, December 17, 12:30 pm
Members of the Guggenheim Kids Club enjoy a special workshop and reception with artist Jason Hackenwerth. The workshop prior to the Peter & the Wolf performance is for ages 6 and up; space is limited, and reservations are required. Kids Club members of all ages are welcome to enjoy the reception and reserved seating for the performance. For more information about the Kids Club membership and this program, please e-mail lgabryszak@guggenheim.org or call 212 423 3796.
Jason Hackenwerth is a New York-based sculptor. Hackenwerth uses balloons-a material that is not traditional or durable-and considers this a metaphor for the human condition. A 2011 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant recipient, Hackenwerth received his BFA from Webster University in St. Louis and his MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design. He has exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York; Art Basel Miami Beach; Jang Heung Art Park in Seoul; and the Scope Art Show in London, in addition to group exhibitions at Vara Global in Venice, and the Riverside Art Museum in Riverside, California. Hackenwerth was a speaker at the Technology, Entertainment, and Design Conference (TED) in 2009 and was awarded a Scope Roving Artist Grant for the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005.
