Review of Royal Scottish National Orchestra the Soldiers Tale Stravinsky

Stravinsky's Soldier'south Tale is a compact slice, deliberately so. The work was written when Stravinsky was marooned in Switzerland during World State of war One and uses simply seven instrumentalists and three actors, plus dancers to tell the story. It was conceived past Stravinsky and the Swiss writer CF Ramuz, based on a Russian folk-tale and was premiered in Lausanne in 1918 with Ernest Ansermet conducting. As part of the International Youth Arts Festival in Kingston-upon-Thames, the Constella Ballet and Orchestra mounted a production of the Soldier'southward Tale at the Rose Theatre on fifteen July 2013 with choreography past Jaered Glavin.

The Constella Orchestra was founded by conductor/composer Leo Geyer and clarinettist Henry Clay as a educatee run ensemble featuring players from many of the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland universities and conservatoires. Since their founding in 2011 their impressive programme has encompassed Beethoven's Violin Concerto with Simon Standage, Stravinsky's Pulcinella and Clay'southward own opera The Mermaid of Zennor.

This new venture, a fully staged version of the Soldier'south Tale was choreographed by Jaered Glavin who studied with the Majestic Ballet School and danced with the Royal New Zealand Ballet from 2008 to 2012. Glavin'south production used a black stage with only a table and chair phase left and the instrumental ensemble stage right. The narrator was Saul Boyer, a young actor, writer and director who is currently studying at Cambridge. He was placed continuing adjacent to the ensemble and was the but 1 of the actors to be amplified.

The roles of the Soldier and the Devil were double cast, the Soldier played by actor Joseph Brown and the dancer Pierre Doncq, the Devil by extra Rachel Maby and dance Sophie Apollonia. We first encountered the Soldier marching home, with dancer Pierre Doncq doing Glavin'due south rather over-athletic choreography. When Joseph Brown appeared, both he and Doncq were dressed alike, though ane was dark skinned and the other pale. The two almost danced together, and when the Devil appeared in the guise of Maby and Apollonia, whilst Maby tempted Brownish, Apollonia danced with Doncq and it was clear that in Glavin'south view the temptation was a sexual one. His choreography for Doncq, when he interacted both with Apollonia and with Joanne Thwaite'due south Princess, used a highly sexual body language.

Whilst Glavin did choregraph some of Saul Boyer's speeches to interesting effect, he likewise knew when to do nothing, such as the moment when the Soldier (Chocolate-brown) realised he had been abroad for three years non three days. And when Brownish defeated Maby at cards (with the help of Boyer'due south narrator), information technology was Apollonia who helped raise the Princess from her sleep and the resulting trip the light fantastic toe was a pas de trois, between Apollonia, Doncq and Thwaite, showing that the Soldier is never rid of the Devil.

I had a high regard for Glavin'southward management and his conception of the piece of work, as stagecraft it worked very well. Where I had problems was with his choreography which was, for my taste, a little too athletic in style and too illustrative of the popular rhythms of Stravinsky'due south score, without moving to deeper, more tragic levels. The portrayal of the Devil rose above this because Maby was then wonderfully malevolent and somehow convinced as the dual aspect with Apollonia. Brown every bit the Soldier was far more passive, inevitably, and did not always gel so well with Doncq.

Glavin's danced sometimes commented aptly on the narrative, for instance with Apollonia and Doncq dancing in the groundwork. But too often, the trip the light fantastic seemed to fulfil no narrative or emotional purpose, such equally the very long sequence where Doncq danced with Apollonia and Thwaite, both scantily clad as attendants at the King's palace. This sequence was very popular with the audience only did not seem to add anything to the emotional narrative.

I wish that a way could have been found for Boyer not to exist amplified. He had such a lovely, expressive and mellifluous voice that it was a pity we could not hear it naturally. But withal, he fabricated a very vivid and involved narrator.

I have only adoration and praise for the Constella Orchestra and their conductor Leo Geyer. Stravinsky's neo-classical writing leaves little room for instrumentalists to hibernate and the popular rhythms that underlay the music must exist crisp and authentic. All this was in place along with some highly expressive playing, giving a darkness and depth to the music.

It seems a shame that the performance was rather buried, being at 1pm on a rather hot Monday afternoon. I practice hope that Constella volition exist doing the production over again. Co-ordinate to the group's publicity they have plans for further ballets.
Elsewhere on this blog:

• Proms: Les Siecles
• Grange Park Opera - Fortunio
• Les Siecles: La Mer - CD review
• Okeanos travel the Tokaido Route
• Missa Charles Darwin - CD review
• Transports of Delight
• The Passion of Reason - CD review
• Buxton Festival - Gala Concert
• Buxton Festival - La Finta Giardiniera
• Buxton Festival - The Reunion
• Buxton Festival - A song of Love and Death
• Home

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Source: https://www.planethugill.com/2013/07/stravinskys-soldiers-tale.html

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