The Soldier's Tale

The Cal Arte Ensemble presents L’Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale) by Igor Stravinsky

This dark but telling and lively theatrical work, part music, part narration and part dance, tells the story of a soldier who makes a Faustian bargain exchanging his violin with the devil for a book that predicts the future. While the book makes the soldier immensely wealthy, it comes, at a very costly price. The music is unmistakably Stravinsky featuring a tart concoction of jazzy figures, dance forms and marches for a small group of players.

The full performance of this 20th century chamber masterpiece will feature narration, dance, and actors in the roles of soldier, princess and the devil together with eight members of the Cal Arte Ensmemble conducted by Tamami Honma.

Preceding this work, Julian Brown and Tamami Honma will present Stravinsky's neoclassical Suite Italienne for violin and piano, based on the ballet Pulcinella which in turn was based on the delightfully engaging tunes of 18th century Italian composer Giovanni Pergolesi.