Re: Petrushka 1947 Score Pdf Download
Itaete Chambers
Petrushka is the second of the three landmark ballet scores that Stravinsky composed for impresario Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. The first, from 1910, was The Firebird; the third, from 1913, was The Rite of Spring, which I featured on this blog in March 2011 in a post you can read here. Petrushka was completed early in 1911 and was given its premiere in June of that year in Paris, with Nijinsky dancing the title role.
I still have that old album, the liner notes to which were written by the late British musicologist, Robin Golding. I have reproduced below his synopsis of the plot of Petrushka, and have added a few timer indications from the video that follows to serve as guideposts to the viewer.
Petrushka began to take shape in 1910, shortly after the composer had completed the score of The Firebird, and it is interesting to note that originally the work was intended not as ballet music, but as a short concert-piece for pianoforte and orchestra, called by the Russian name for that mythical tragicomic figure of which another derivation is Pierrot. This concert-piece is retained in the score of the ballet Petrushka as the music for the scene in the Second Tableau.
The work is scored for a large orchestra, including a bold array of percussion instruments, whilst, of course, the pianoforte has a prominent part in the orchestration. In 1947 Stravinsky revised the work, linking the four tableaux by means of drum interludes, and making alterations to the scoring. The action takes place in the Admiralty Square, St. Petersburg during the annual fair of the Shrovetide Festival, about the year 1830.
Now we are back in the outside world again; the crowds are as great and boisterous as before. For a moment the bustle ceases as spiky figures are heard from the oboes and trumpets but the animation quickly resumes, and soon a rocking figure on oboes, clarinets, and horns leads into the dance of a group of nursemaids who have joined the scene. As they dance, fragments of a new theme are heard, first on the oboe and then from the horns [22:14]. This is a Russian folksong, Down the Petersky, and it is gradually worked up until the full orchestra plays it with rich harmonization. A more staccato section leads to fragments of another folksong, Oh, My Room, My Little Room, which is eventually given complete by a solo trumpet [23:58], after which both folktunes are heard together.
A peasant comes on the scene with a performing bear, and the bass of the orchestra growls out a rough figure which suggests the cumbersome animal [24:38]. As the peasant dances to the tune on the clarinet, the bear tries to imitate him (on the tuba), whilst the crowd stands and gapes at this new attraction. When the performance has finished, the hurly-burly is resumed, in the midst of which a drunken merchant appears and flings banknotes to the crowd, whilst two gipsy girls who are with him dance to a sprightly figure given out by oboe and cor anglais. A slackening of the tempo leads to a new dance, that of the coachmen, based on yet another folksong, I Was Going up a Hill. It is given out fragmentarily by trumpets, strings, and horns, and later interrupted by a return of Down the Petersky [27:33]. After some brilliant working up, the music quietens for a few moments as a group of masqueraders enters to an accompaniment of piano, harp, woodwind, and strings [29:13]. One of them represents a devil (bold, descending jumps on the brass); others are a goat and a pig who prance about, to the delight of the crowd.
Petrushka by Stravinsky is a precious gem in the world of classical music, a work that transcends the boundaries of time and art. Thanks to technological advancements, music enthusiasts from around the world can now access this creation through streaming on the globally renowned platform, medici.tv, the best platform for classical music streaming. Indeed, after the triumph of The Firebird, Stravinsky achieved the impossible, replicating his previous success and shaping this majestic work that quickly established itself as a timeless masterpiece! Petrushka was completed in 1911, but the composer revisited the score multiple times: first in 1947, which remains the most celebrated revision, and then in 1965. The score reached a level of perfection that led to its inclusion in the pantheon of the greatest classical music and its orchestral performance in the world's most prestigious concert halls!
The tale of Petrushka unfolds within the heart of a Russian fair during Mardi Gras. It is marked by the arrival of a magician and his three mesmerizing puppets: Petrushka, a ballerina, and a Moor. The plot is propelled by the notes of his enchanted flute, engulfing the audience in a whirlwind of distinctive emotions. The ballet reveals itself through four captivating scenes, with each delving into the delicate boundary between reality and fantasy. Consequently, the characters spring to life before our eyes, capturing the intricacies of human relationships through their graceful movements and the infusion of traditional Russian melodies. Thanks to medici.tv, the premiere platform for streaming classical music, live concerts and cherished works like Petrushka are now accessible in real-time or on-demand, granting music aficionados worldwide the chance to immerse themselves in the grandeur of this opus. Be sure not to overlook its orchestral rendition, expertly guided by renowned conductors such as Lahav Shani and Zubin Mehta! On medici.tv, newcomers can be enchanted by the enthralling narrative and immersive melodies, while experts will savor the subtleties of these refined interpretations!
The ballet Petrushka (1947 version) by Igor Stravinsky remains one of the most popular works in the classical music repertoire. Indeed, its ability to evoke human emotions, its complex structure divided into four scenes, and its meticulous 1947 revision by Stravinsky himself make this work an unforgettable experience for all lovers of music and art. Thanks to medici.tv, music enthusiasts worldwide can now immerse themselves in this timeless masterpiece through streaming, enjoying the magical fusion of music and dance from the comfort of their homes! Don't miss the opportunity to rediscover Petrushka, as well as other timeless works by Stravinsky such as The Firebird and The Rite of Spring!
Petrushka tells the story of the loves and jealousies of three puppets. The three are brought to life by the Charlatan during the 1830 Shrovetide Fair (Maslenitsa) in Saint Petersburg. Petrushka loves the Ballerina, but she rejects him. She prefers the Moor. Petrushka is angry and hurt, and challenges the Moor. The Moor kills him with his scimitar. Petrushka's ghost rises above the puppet theatre as night falls. He shakes his fist at the Charlatan, then collapses in a second death.
Petrushka is a puppet. He is a character known across Europe under different names: Punch in England, Polichinelle in France, Pulcinella in Italy, Kasperle in Germany, and Petrushka in Russia. Whatever his name, he is a trickster, a rebel, and a wife beater. He enforces moral justice with a wooden club, speaks in a high-pitched, squeaky voice, and argues with the devil. His plays were formulaic and subversive. They repeated key scenes from one play to another. The plays usually ended with a dog, a policeman, or the devil dragging him away.[3]
Empress Anna Ivanovna brought marionettes to Russia in the 18th century. These puppets were an amusement for the aristocracy. Rod puppets were an Asian import. They performed religious plays, mostly at Christmas. Petrushka, however, was a hand puppet. He was loved by the common people. He performed in street theatres and other open air venues in small portable booths or behind screens that could be easily assembled and just as easily disassembled. After the Russian Revolution, Soviet authorities forced Petrushka indoors. They wanted to be better able to monitor his subversiveness.[3]
The gestation of Petrushka was not a straightforward matter. While completing The Firebird during the spring of 1910, Stravinsky had a "vision" of a solemn pagan rite: sage elders, seated in a circle, watching a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of Spring. Such was the theme of The Rite of Spring.[4] Immediately following the stunning success of The Firebird in June 1910, Diaghilev approached Stravinsky about a new ballet; the composer proposed the Rite theme. Diaghilev accepted in principle and suggested that the premiere might take place during the Paris season of the Ballets Russes during the spring of 1912.
While the original idea was Stravinsky's, Alexandre Benois provided the ethnographic details of the Shrovetide Fair and the traditions of the Russian puppet theater. And although Petrushka is frequently cited as an example of the complete integration of libretto, music, choreography, and scenic design, Stravinsky had composed significant portions of the music (chiefly the second tableau) before Benois became involved with the project.
Petrushka begins with a festive orchestral introduction based, in part, on historical Russian street-hawkers' cries.[8] The curtain rises to reveal St. Petersburg's Admiralty Square during the 1830s. The stage set (also by Benois) depicts several hucksters' booths, a ferris-wheel, a carousel, and (upstage center) a puppet theater. A crowd has gathered for the Shrovetide Fair (known as Maslenitsa), the carnival (analogous to Mardi Gras) preceding Lent.
In Fokine's original choreography, a group of Drunken Revelers emerges from the crowd, dancing to Stravinsky's adaptation of the folk-tune "Song of the Volochobniki" ("Dalalin' Dalalin'" from Rimsky-Korsakov Op. 24 No. 47).[8]
Suddenly, the festive music is interrupted by strident brass announcing the appearance of the Master of Ceremonies on the balcony of his booth. The equivalent of a carnival "barker", he boasts of the attractions to be seen within.
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