The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Music Department has created the Music Mosaics Series featuring the talents of various faculty members and ensembles in the Light Recital Hall in the Greenhill Center of the Arts.
The fifth concert the series features a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s “A Soldier’s Tale” (L’Histore du Soldat) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, in the Light Recital Hall, 950 W. Main St. on the UW-Whitewater campus.
The performance is a collaboration of faculty musicians and actors (faculty and students) from the theatre/dance department to perform.
The series benefits the music department’s scholarship fund for students with exceptional talent and academic excellence.
This famous chamber work written in 1918 for six musicians, narrator, and actors is based on a Russian folk tale, The Runaway Soldier and the Devil, by Alexander Afanasyev. This story about the corruption of wealth, and sadness brought on by greed is told musically in this brilliant work. The cast includes: faculty member Jim Butchart, narrator; UW-Whitewater students, Jennifer Samson, devil; Peter Brian Kelly, soldier; with Music Department faculty musicians: Leanne League, violin; Brad Townsend, bass; Carol Rosing, bassoon; Christian Ellenwood, clarinet; Edward Hong, trumpet; Mike Dugan, trombone; Tobie Wilkinson, percussion and Glenn Hayes, conductor.
The music for the piece is remarkable, borrowing from the Tango and American Jazz to create this theatrical work.
“The music faculty are excited to present this version of L’Histoire at UW-Whitewater. This will be the first time UW-Whitewater audiences will have a chance to hear this amazing work in its entirety. We are also grateful for the collaboration with Jim Butchart of the theatre/dance department helping us present this performance, states Tobie Wilkerson.”
“A Soldier’s Tale” was written by Stravinsky to be a portable piece combining, music, acting and dance that could tour smaller venues throughout the countryside during the war. This particular interpretation is performed in a reader’s theatre style without the use of dancers.
The story will unfold with narration, dramatic music and the characterizations of the devil and the soldier. A soldier on leave meets up with the devil while trudging home. The devil promises him wealth if he sells him his fiddle (soul), for a book that tells the future. The soldier makes this deal with the devil and gains great wealth from knowing the future, but finds that wealth does not lead to happiness.
The only way for him to find happiness is to give up all his wealth; so he wages all against the devil in a poker game.
For more information, go to www.uww.edu/cac/music/special-events/music-mosaics.
Tickets are available by calling (262) 472-2222 or visiting the Greenhill Center of the Arts Box office, Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or purchase online at tickets.uww.edu.
Prices are general public admission for $7, age 65 and older, $6; and younger than 18/UW-W students, $3.
