Works & Process: Peter & the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev with Isaac Mizrahi

Sergei Prokofiev’s *Peter and the Wolf* is a narrated dance work built on a clear musical idea: each character is identified by a distinct instrumental voice, so the story is carried as much by timbre as by plot. At the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the tale is framed by Isaac Mizrahi’s narration, set against the building’s public, spiraling interior. The piece has long functioned in New York as a gateway to orchestral listening for young audiences, though its structure rewards adults, too. Its critical insight is simple and durable: music can teach attention without resorting to explanation.