The project was conceived and commissioned by the Russian National Orchestra, under the artistic direction of Kent Nagano.

There, Peter sees "a thin gray Wolf", out to find prey for his family, then chases it and captures it.

Three spoken-word sections, Introduction, Intermezzo and Epilogue, were recorded by Mikhail Gorbachev, who spoke in Russian, with a translation that followed in English.

The drawings were selected from the hundreds shown at the "How I See Music" Exhibition, an annual event sponsored by the RNO at the Moscow Conservatory.

The recording received a Grammy in 2004, for Best Spoken Word Album for Children,[1][2] the first one ever awarded to either a former U.S. President or a Russian orchestra.