BaL 10.02.24 - Stravinsky: The Soldier’s Tale

[Pulcinella]

10.30am
Building a Library

Gillian Moore chooses her favourite version of Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale

Soldier's Tale from 1918 is a theatrical work to be "read, played and danced by three actors, one or more dancers, and a septet of instruments." Stravinsky chose a libretto, in French, by Swiss writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz; the two men worked on the piece together, basing it on the Russian tale The Runaway Soldier and the Devil.

Though this suggests that the version under consideration will be that with narration, I have also added a section of available recordings of the suite (though not of any of the other instrumental arrangements: usually clarinet, violin, and piano, but also some extracts just violin/piano) as I suspect that they may well also be covered.
Information on the Presto site (as with the recent The fairy’s kiss and The miraculous mandarin, to say nothing of Pulcinella!) is often incorrect, so where there is possible confusion I have used the length of the work as the deciding factor. Sometimes there is a single narrator; in other recordings the other roles have also been assigned. Also, in some listings there is no designated conductor, so those have been listed at the top in alphabetical ensemble order. In other cases, the violinist might (inadvertently?) have been thought of as the ‘conductor’.

DVD versions have not been included.

Full version (with narration)

Boston Symphony Chamber Players (D)
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Musicians (CD, D)
Edinburgh International Festival (D) [Thomas Allen as narrator]
LSO Chamber Ensemble (SACD, D)

SRO/Ansermet (D)
Soloists of the Berlin Philharmonic/Blacher [violin] (D)
Orchestre de Paris/Charlier (CD, D)
Ensemble Instrumental/Dutoit (CD)
Hallé Orchestra/Elder (CD, D)
Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Players/Falletta (CD, D)
Scottish CO/Friend (CD, D)
RSNO/N Järvi (CD, D)
Royal Academy of Music/Knussen (CD, D)
Various instrumentalists/Markevich (PCD, D) [Cocteau as narrator]
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center/Marsalis (D)
Various instrumentalists/Mintz [violin and conductor] [Depardieu as narrator] (D)
New Music Studium/Plotino (D)
London Festival O/Pople (D)
Eastman Virtuosi/Scatterday (CD, D)
Columbia Chamber Ensemble/Stravinsky (D) [This version, with Jeremy Irons as narrator, has Irons added in 2005 to Stravinsky’s own 1961 recording, with some additional material recorded in 1967, attributed to Craft as conductor in the documentation accompanying the release in the big Columbia Stravinsky Collection]
Recommended version:
Jeremy Irons (speaker)
Columbia Chamber Ensemble
Igor Stravinsky (conductor)
SONY G010003473050VNorthern Chamber O/Ward (CD, D)
Argo Chamber Ensemble/Zalkowitsch (CD, D)


Suite

Various instrumentalists (D) [Maazel on violin]

SRO/Ansermet (CD, D)
Members of the Boston SO/Bernstein (D)
Cleveland O/Boulez (D)
LSO Chamber Group/Carewe (D)
London Sinfonietta/Chailly (D)
Twentieth Century Classics Ensemble/Craft (CD, D)
Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Players/Falletta (CD, D)
RSNO/N Järvi (D)
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen/P Järvi
Budapest Chamber Ensemble/Mihaly (D)
Zurich CO/Norrington (D)
Chamber Harmonia O/Pešek (CD, D)
Harmonie Ensemble New York/Richman (D)
Finnish Radio SO Chamber Ensemble/Sakari (CD, D)
Los Angeles CO/Schwarz (CD, D)
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia/Solzhenitsyn (D)
Cleveland Orchestra/Stravinsky (D)
Various instrumentalists (New York, 1954)/Stravinsky (D)
Various instrumentalists, subsequently called the Columbia Chamber Ensemble (Hollywood, 1961)/Stravinsky (D)

D: Download
CD: CD (possibly in set)
PCD: Presto CD
SACD: SACD

[I spotted the subject for this BaL when looking at the R3 schedule today, and I had some spare time to compile a list of available recordings; I messaged Alpie, and though I haven't heard back yet I'm sure he won't mind that I've started the thread and saved him some work.]

As always, happy to make corrections/additions.

[pastoralguy]

Alas, one of my least favourite works. I’ve been able to put my finger on my dislike but it’s just a bit…naff!

The recording I’ve listened to the most is the SNO players under Jarvi which, unforgivably, doesn’t list the players. The solo violin part does sound like it was the orchestra’s long time leader, Edwin Paling.

[Pulcinella]

In this instance, I much prefer the suite.

Alison: no BBC MM CD competition.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Many thanks for this.

[Petrushka]

I remember watching one of Leonard Bernstein's Norton lectures on BBC2 in around 1974 when he exhorted his audience to buy a recording of this work: "Don't walk to the record shop - run!"

Intrigued, I ended up buying a CfP disc of the Suite with the Nash Ensemble which served me well for a long time but it slipped out of sight in the CD era and I never replaced the work until along came the LSO Chamber Ensemble recording. I now also have the Jeremy Irons CD which is in the big Stravinsky box.

Truth to tell, it's a frustrating piece to listen to. As with so many works with narrator, the music and speech have often been recorded in an obviously different acoustic and at wildly differing sound levels. It doesn't make for satisfactory repeated listening so rarely gets lifted from the shelves. Oedipus Rex is similarly afflicted.

For these reasons I'd be interested in hearing which recording gets the the nod as it might spark up some interest again.

[Pulcinella]

I remember watching one of Leonard Bernstein's Norton lectures on BBC2 in around 1974 when he exhorted his audience to buy a recording of this work: "Don't walk to the record shop - run!"

Intrigued, I ended up buying a CfP disc of the Suite with the Nash Ensemble which served me well for a long time but it slipped out of sight in the CD era and I never replaced the work until along came the LSO Chamber Ensemble recording. I now also have the Jeremy Irons CD which is in the big Stravinsky box.

Truth to tell, it's a frustrating piece to listen to. As with so many works with narrator, the music and speech have often been recorded in an obviously different acoustic and at wildly differing sound levels. It doesn't make for satisfactory repeated listening so rarely gets lifted from the shelves. Oedipus Rex is similarly afflicted.

For these reasons I'd be interested in hearing which recording gets the the nod as it might spark up some interest again.

I'm with you in a general dislike of pieces with narrator but a little intrigued by this 2CD Decca compilation in which The soldier's tale is coupled with a performance of Gerhard's The Plague (which I've never heard) and Walton himself conducting Facade (stereo):

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8907689--gerhard-the-plague-walton-facade-stravinsky-the-soldiers-tale

I wonder which version Bernstein would have recommended. Odd then that he himself seems only to have made one very early recording (which I incorrectly listed as full but it's only the suite!).

[richardfinegold]

I have been at 2 concert performances of this piece which I enjoyed immensely . However, when listening to recordings I tend to lose focus . The composer led mono recording held my interest the best

[Pulcinella]

I have just discovered this thread, from a previous BaL on The soldier's tale.

https://www.for3.org/forums/forum/classical-forum/record-review/building-a-library/7524-bal-4-05-13-stravinsky-s-l-histoire-du-soldat

[Quarky]

Tending to agree with ardcarp's opinion on the other thread: "It it surely one of the great masterpieces of the 20th century, with such brilliantly idiomatic and evocative violin writing. Look forward to next Sat."

[Darloboy]

Alas, one of my least favourite works. I’ve been able to put my finger on my dislike but it’s just a bit…naff!

I agree, and I find it annoying that BaL keeps covering it every ten years - there's surely more essential stuff to have in our libraries.

FWIW, here are the previous recommendations:

Michael Oliver (October 93): Neeme Järvi + Ansermet as historic choice
Nick Morgan (November 03): Gerard Carrat/Dutoit (in French) + Pesek as first choice for the suite and Timson/Ward as English choice
Geoffrey Smith (May 13): Gielgud/Boston SO Chamber Players + Boulez for the suite - I made a note that there was also discussion of Ansermet as a historic version in French and Ensemble Boeykens for the 3 instrument arrangement

[Master Jacques]

The thing is, The Soldier's Tale needs more than just a narrator if it's to be done authentically.

I recently returned to the old Zalkowitsch performance (on the motley 2-CD Decca Eloquence set mentioned by Pulcinella) which used to be my LP favourite, and found that Glenda Jackson (narrator) and Micheál Mac Liammóir (the Devil) were as wonderful as I remembered, while Rudolf Nureyev (the Soldier) was utterly disarming, to an extent I'd not remembered.

I'd much rather listen to it in this original, dramatic form, than as a "music minus one" soundtrack, which is how the Suite always sounds, no matter how well played. But using a narrator only is a poor half-way house.

As this Eloquence set also features Alec McCowen's classic, utterly chilling and forensic delivery of Gerhard's The Plague, under Dorati, it really is one to treasure.

[Pulcinella]

What did others make of the Halle production, which was shown on BBC4, and subsequently had its remastered soundtrack released?
I must admit that I wasn't that taken with it.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9420086--stravinsky-the-soldiers-tale#about

[Master Jacques]

Hallé, Elder? Not the best, I agree. Sluggish playing, journeyman acting. The 'drama-doc' ambience of some spoken scenes doesn't help either; and in audio-only, the three voices sound too similarly pitched. Glenda and co. are in a different league.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The thing is, The Soldier's Tale needs more than just a narrator if it's to be done authentically.

I recently returned to the old Zalkowitsch performance (on the motley 2-CD Decca Eloquence set mentioned by Pulcinella) which used to be my LP favourite, and found that Glenda Jackson (narrator) and Micheál Mac Liammóir (the Devil) were as wonderful as I remembered, while Rudolf Nureyev (the Soldier) was utterly disarming, to an extent I'd not remembered.

I'd much rather listen to it in this original, dramatic form, than as a "music minus one" soundtrack, which is how the Suite always sounds, no matter how well played. But using a narrator only is a poor half-way house.

As this Eloquence set also features Alec McCowen's classic, utterly chilling and forensic delivery of Gerhard's The Plague, under Dorati, it really is one to treasure.

The Stravinsky recording (just played ) with Jeremy Irons ( dubbed on in 2005 ) proves your point. I haven’t heard the Glenda J version but I can imagine that edge her voice had , the way she hits the consonants really blends with Stravinsky’s sparky , dry writing . I’ve seen this performed live a few times with some stage movement - . It works very well.

Oh they are just playing Glenda - actually quite soft voiced. And they’ve faded out Rudi …both literally and as a potential winner. Reviewer thinks Rudi is wooden but just not a long enough clip to judge really.

[Retune]

What did others make of the Halle production, which was shown on BBC4, and subsequently had its remastered soundtrack released?
I must admit that I wasn't that taken with it.

This piece is new to me, so of course I missed the BBC4 version at the time, but what I've just seen of it on iPlayer looks very good:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001f6zy/the-soldiers-tale

I think I'll watch this rather than acquiring a CD, though the Stravinsky/Irons seems like a good pick for an audio version - interesting to hear the composer's take, and a narration that would probably bear repeated listening (I suspect the voice acting in some of the alternatives might get quite grating).