Peter and the Wolf (for narrator and orchestra), Op. 67 (1936)

Commissioned in 1936 by Natalya Sats for the Central Children's Theatre in Moscow, Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67, is a "symphonic tale for children" designed to introduce young audiences to the instruments of the orchestra. Prokofiev wrote both the music and the libretto, completing the piano version in under a week and the orchestration shortly thereafter. While the story functions as a charming Russian folk tale about a brave Young Pioneer who captures a ferocious wolf, it also mirrors Soviet ideals of the time, such as the resourcefulness of youth and the triumph of Man over Nature.

The work is famous for its programmatic structure, where each character is represented by a specific instrument and a corresponding musical theme: the bird by the flute, the duck by the oboe, the cat by a low-register clarinet, the grandfather by the bassoon, the wolf by three horns, Peter by the string quartet, and the hunters’ gunshots by the kettle drums and bass drum. Despite a lukewarm Moscow premiere on May 2, 1936, the work soon became a global phenomenon, premiering in the United States in 1938 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

To this day, it remains one of the most beloved educational tools in classical music, encouraging listeners to "distinguish the sonorities of the instruments" while following the dramatic capture—and subsequent victory parade—of the wolf.