Darius Milhaud London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Group / John Carewe, Conductor 1 La Création du Monde, Ballet for Orchestra, Op. 81 17:00 Igor Stravinsky L’Histoire du Soldat London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Group / John Carewe, Conductor 2 I. The Soldier's March 01:45 3 II. At the Brook 02:40 4 III. Pastorale 03:12 5 IV. The Royal March 02:38 6 V. The Little Concert 02:49 7 VI. Three Dances - Tango, Waltz, Ragtime 06:19 8 VII. The Devil's Dance 01:23 9 VIII. The Great Chorale 02:40 10 IX. The Devil's Triumphal March 02:09 MILHAUD: La Création du Monde and costumes; Blaise Cendrars, who wrote from his music. Looking for something with (The Creation of the World) the book, and Jean Borlin, who devised the which to bring in some much needed money, STRAVINSKY: L’Histoire du Soldat choreography and danced one of the princi- he worked out with C. F. Ramuz a plan for a (The Soldier’s Tale) pal roles. Cendrars’ idea was a ballet depict- simple, inexpensive theatrical entertainment ing the creation of the world as it might that could tour throughout Switzerland. John Carewe conducting the Lon- be envisioned in African folklore. Leger Stravinsky showed Ramuz Afanassiev’s col- don Symphony Orchestra Chamber provided some striking decor along primi- lection of Russian fairy tales, from which he Group tive, aboriginal lines, and Milhaud had an chose the story of the soldier who deserts opportunity to pepper his music with Negro the army, makes a pact with the Devil, and is jazz elements. He scored it for an ensemble ultimately carried off to the infernal regions. Solo players in L’Histoire du Soldat: Hugh of dance orchestra proportions, though the Ramuz wrote the poem, the basis of a work Maguire, violin; Stuart Knussen, double- instrumentation bore scant resemblance to be read, played and danced by a cast of bass; Gervase de Peyer, clarinet; Wil- to that of an American dance band. But the four characters, and Stravinsky sought to liam Waterhouse, bassoon; Dennis Clift, jazz idioms were there in profusion, and La create a score with a like economy of means. cornet; Denis Wick, trombone; Charles Creation du Monde became the first impor- He decided on an ensemble of seven virtuoso Donaldson, percussion tant piece of serious music to make exten- players, with instruments representing the sive use of jazz. It was first presented by the extreme ranges of the string, woodwind and Darius Milhaud has always been one to take Swedish Ballet at the Theatre des Champs- brass families: violin and double-bass, clari- advantage of his environment and absorb Elysées in Paris on October 25, 1923, and net and bassoon, cornet and trombone, plus the spirit of the music he has heard around thus appeared some three and a half months a one-man percussion band. him, fusing it with his own creative original- before George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. ity into a telling work of musical art. He did The music Stravinsky wrote for this unique it with the folk music of his native Provence; Briefly, the action ofLa Creation du Monde is but effective combination was international with the folk songs and dances of Brazil a danced interpretation of the creation of all in scope, containing such diverse elements when he served as attaché to the French living beings. From out of the dark, a mass as a Bach-like chorale, a Spanish paso doble Ambassador, Paul Claudel, in 1917, and with of dancers emerge, one by one, trees and and even hints of American ragtime. The dif- American jazz when he visited the United animals, progressing from the lowest forms ference between Stravinsky and Milhaud, States for the first time in 1922. of life to the highest, Man and Woman, who however, was that whereas Milhaud had conclude the work with a climactic kiss of actually gone to America to hear jazz, In Boston, Milhaud was fascinated with the fertility. Milhaud’s music accompanies this Stravinsky had encountered it only through dance music performed by Leo Reisman and action on a relatively subdued plane, but the what he had heard in Europe and through his Orchestra. In New York, his keenest inter- spirit of jazz, particularly the blues, is ever music brought or sent to him from the United est in American jazz was aroused by Paul present. States. Perhaps as a result, the jazz idiom is Whiteman’s Orchestra and even more forci- not nearly as pronounced in L’Histoire du bly by the music of the Harlem dance halls. Soldat as it is in La Creation du Monde. He returned to France with an armful of L’Histoire du Soldat records he had purchased in Harlem. The first performance ofL’Histoire du Soldat L’Histoire du Soldat is a work born of eco- was given at Lausanne on September 28, Some months later, back in Paris, Milhaud set nomic necessity. In 1918, Igor Stravinsky 1918, with Ernest Ansermet conducting. to work on a new project for Rolf de Mare’s found himself in Switzerland and in pre- The little orchestra and the Reader were on Swedish Ballet. His collaborators were carious financial straits. The war and the opposite sides of the stage, where the action Fernand Leger, who designed the scenery Russian Revolution had cut off his income unfolds. The story, a miniature version of the Faust Ultimately, Stravinsky made a concert suite legend, concerns a Soldier returning home out of the music for L’Histoire du Soldat, on a two-week furlough. En route, he meets retaining the original instrumentation and the Devil disguised as an old man, and most of the movements from the stage ver- exchanges his fiddle for a magic book. The sion. This suite, which is recorded here, Soldier also accepts an invitation to spend was given its premiere under Hermann three days with the old man, which turn out Scherchen’s direction at a festival of modern to be three years. He next encounters the music at Frankfurt am Main on June 20, Devil as a cattle merchant, who shows him 1923. how he can become rich with the magic book. But he soon tires of wealth. At this point the Notes by PAUL AFFELDER Devil, in the disguise of an old woman ped- dler, shows him a fiddle, which he recognizes as his own. The Soldier offers to buy it, but when he tries to play on it there is no sound. JOHN CAREWE, young English conductor, He throws it away and tears up the magic was born in 1933. He received his musical book. His riches gone, the Soldier wanders to education at the Guildhall School of Music a foreign country, where the King has offered in London, where he studied piano, compo- his daughter’s hand in marriage to anyone sition, theory and conducting. Subsequently, who can cure her of her strange illness. Here he furthered his studies of conducting with again the Soldier encounters the Devil, this Roger Desormiere, Walter Goehr, Igor time as a virtuoso violinist. They play cards, Markevitch and Wolfgang Sawallisch. Then and the Devil always wins, but this saps his in 1956, he won a French Government schol- strength. The Soldier then plies him with arship, which enabled him to study at the drink until he is unconscious, and steals the Paris Conservatory. As conductor, lecturer fiddle. His playing cures the Princess, and and author, Carewe exhibits extremely cath- they are about to embrace when the Devil olic musical tastes. appears as himself. Again the Soldier bests him by making him dance to his fiddle until he is exhausted. After their marriage, the Princess desires to see the Soldier’s home town. As they cross the border, the Soldier’s power is broken; and the Devil finally carries him off in triumph. Fortunately for Stravinsky and his friends, the production of L’Histoire du Soldat was underwritten by Werner Reinhart of Winterthur, because the proposed tour never took place. The wave of Spanish influenza that swept the Continent struck down every member of the little company. Some notes on the history of Everest …from the original LP release: system, but naturally will be most appreci- Records and the digital remastering ated by the audiophile with the very finest hi-fi “This Everest Recording is a Product of Belock equipment. 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