The Story of the Soldier, Stravinsky

The Erämaa trio offers a rereading of The Story of the Soldier by Igor Stravinsky, a mimodrama composed in 1917 and a masterpiece of 20th century music. Originally written for seven instrumentalists, the work is presented here in a reduced version for violin, clarinet and piano, continuing the reduction made by Stravinsky himself in his 1919 suite. The musical story features a soldier who trades his violin with the devil for a book that makes all his wishes come true. In a few days, his dreams come true, but upon his return he discovers that several years have passed and that he has lost everything. After recovering his violin through a trick, he manages to heal a princess and seduce her, before the devil finally claims his due. An avant-garde work, The Soldier's Story strikes by the contrast between an austere narration and lyrical and magical music, divided into various forms, with incisive rhythms and deliberately distorted tones.