Pulcinella
At the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, Serge Diaghilev asked Stravinsky to compose a work for his Ballets Russes that would resuscitate an Italian composer of the 18th century and revive the principles of commedia dell’arte. He intended to entrust the choreography to Leonid Massine, with sets by Picasso.
Pulcinella, a country bumpkin, has too much success with the ladies, so his rivals want to get rid of him. But after a multitude of disguises, transformations, deaths and resurrections, all ends in embraces.
This proposal arrived at just the right moment for Stravinsky, offering him the opportunity for the change in musical direction that he was undeniably seeking. Under the pretext of a seeming neo-classicism, he opted for a reduced orchestra to which he added three voices (soprano, tenor and bass). But even though he broke with Russia and his reputation as a savage, Stravinsky, ever true to himself, subjected Pergolesi, his composer of reference, to a metamorphosis full of refinements and irony with, in addition, his rhythmic signature, his pranks of original timbres and invigorating colours.

Roméo et Juliette
Upon returning to the USSR in 1934, Prokofiev received the commission for this ballet from the Kirov. At the time, Shakespeare’s theatre was a great source of inspiration for Soviet culture. He set to work with the director Radlov and choreographer Lavrovsky, but the work had difficulty making it to the stage, the music being deemed too complicated to be danced.
The premiere of Romeo and Juliet would take place in Czechoslovakia, whereas the first Soviet performance would not be given until 1940, in Leningrad. It is true that Prokofiev’s music has nothing ‘official’ about it. Armed with his experience with Diaghilev in France, the composer opted for a musical language that is choreographic in its rhythms but which espouses the complexity of the plot and takes into account the characters’ psychological subtleties. Thus, each situation or character has its own recurrent theme, which results in a colourful score, constructed like an opera. In the Gatti version, the chronology of Shakespeare’s drama is respected.

Catherine Michaud

Broadcast France Musique - 04/08/08 - 8pm