Stravinsky: A Soldier's Tale

Featuring

Oliver Knussen
Harriet Walter
George Benjamin
Harrison Birtwistle
Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble
Igor Stravinsky

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies

Did you know?

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Recording & Production

This recording is dedicated to Peter Maxwell Davies, a composer and teacher who was originally slated to perform as the Devil in Stravinsky's 'The Soldier's Tale' but passed away before the sessions.

Composition History

Stravinsky's 'L'Histoire du soldat' (The Soldier's Tale) was conceived during World War I to be affordable and mobile, using a small instrumental septet and three spoken roles.

Compositional Technique

Stravinsky's choice of instrumentation and rhythmic character in 'The Soldier's Tale' was influenced by his discovery of jazz at the time.

Compositional Technique

The 'Double Canon' by Stravinsky, written in the same year as 'Epitaphium', uses a thematically watertight structure with retrograde, retrograde-inversion, and transposed versions of the original theme.

Performer Biography

Dame Harriet Walter, the narrator on this album, is a distinguished actress known for her extensive work in theatre, television, film, and radio, including roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Compositional Technique

Stravinsky's 'Fanfare for a New Theatre' is a brief piece for two C trumpets that uses precise manipulation of musical shapes and his late serial language.