Les Noces (Svadebka) (The Wedding)
Within one year, there are suddenly two new arrangements of Stravinsky’s Russian-period choral masterpiece. First, commissioned for the Los Angeles Philharmonic by its Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, premiered at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the orchestra’s resident composer, Steven Stucky’s orchestration is a faithful re-imagination of the final 1923 four-piano, six percussion version for full orchestra, thereby lending the work a potentially far wider popular appeal. The performance material for this orchestration is now available worldwide from Chester Music.
At the same time, as part of the commemoration of the re-opening of the Hermitage Amsterdam and part of the widespread centenary celebrations of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, there will be a premiere on August 15 of the completion of Stravinsky’s substantial draft for Les Noces, abandoned as impractical by the composer in 1919. The composer Theo Verbey has addressed the considerable challenges of the task of the arrangement of this draft, which was scored for two cimbaloms, harmonium, pianola and two percussion, often considered closer to Stravinsky’s original sound concept than the now standard four-piano arrangement. The stage production will have new choreography and is part of a larger narrative in which, following the wedding, the guests will be entertained by a performance of The Soldier’s Tale.
Sound ClipClick here to listen to four clips of Les Noces
Four Russian Peasant Songs
Until now only available with English words, Stravinsky’s 1954 version of his earlier a cappella settings of 1916 for upper voices, expanded to include an accompaniment of four horns, can now be sung to the original Russian texts. For the first time, too, after consulting various sources, we have addressed problems in the published score, including revisions to the vocal lines. The first performances of this new edition can be heard as part of a Stravinsky event, The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, given by the Canadian Opera Company under the direction of Robert Lepage, from October 17 at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto.
Le Roi des étoiles (Zvyezdaléekee)
A newly engraved and corrected full score and parts of Stravinsky’s 1912 cantata for men’s voices and orchestra, to words by Russian Symbolist poet C. Balmont, is now available in the UK, USA and Commonwealth countries from Chester Music. There is a new transliteration of the Russian text as well as the Cyrillic and French translation.
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