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The Soldier's Tale

The Halle and Sir Mark Elder's vibrant and bold new take on Stravinsky’s dark masterpiece of music theatre about a soldier who trades his soul to the devil.

A vibrant and bold new take on The Soldier’s Tale, Stravinsky’s dark masterpiece of music theatre about a soldier who trades his soul to the devil in return for untold riches. Shot in contemporary Manchester to underline the work’s universal themes, this powerful film embraces a rich mix of locations: out along the city’s waterways, up among the skyline of an industrial car park, in hidden passages and pubs, under the stage of Bridgewater Hall for a devilish game of cards, and on stage where the musicians of the Hallé, directed by Sir Mark Elder, form a central part of the action.

A work devised to be 'read, played and danced', it is set to some of Stravinsky’s most entertaining and affecting music.

Stravinsky created The Soldier’s Tale in 1918 in Switzerland, isolated in the middle of a Europe at war. The artists worked in improvised, under-funded circumstances. Stravinsky was cut off from any source of income, so he collaborated with Swiss writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz and a group of local friends to make a small-scale work that they could tour easily. It was an experiment in form and a huge and brilliant departure from large-scale composition. The first tour was cancelled because of the 1918–19 Spanish flu pandemic, but subsequently the piece became one of the most enduringly popular of Stravinsky’s works.

This production features a new English translation by Jeremy Sams.

Available now

59 minutes

Last on

Sun 13 Nov 2022 20:00
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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:47

    Leonard Bernstein

    The Soldier's Tale (Excerpts): 3 Dances: Tango - Waltz - Ragtime

  • 00:48

    Igor Stravinsky, Columbia Chamber Ensemble, Jeremy Irons

    Part 2, Three Dances: 3. Ragtime

  • 00:53

    Roger Waters, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Musicians

    The Soldier's Tale (Narrated By Roger Waters): Part II: Grand Chorale (Part 4)

Credits

Conductor Sir Mark Elder
Narrator Richard Katz
Soldier Martins Imhangbe
Devil Mark Lockyer
Princess Faith Prendergast
Executive Producer David Butcher
Stage Director Annabel Arden
Stage Director Femi Elufowoju Jr
Producer Gemma Dixon
Director Dominic Best

Broadcast

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