‘’Histoire du soldat’” by Igor Stravinsky will be performed with two different librettos, one by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz and one by Kurt Vonnegut on back-to-back evenings at the Squires Recital Salon at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg.
At 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 21 the original libretto by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz will be performed then at 7:30, Saturday, Sept. 22, the libretto by Kurt Vonnegut.
“Music lovers have a rare treat in store with the chance to hear Igor Stravinsky’s “Histoire du soldat” (A Soldier’s Tale),” the Performing Arts newsletter said. Admission is free.
The original, Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz libretto, is based on a Russian folktale about a soldier who trades his fiddle to the Devil in exchange for wealth and marriage. Friday’s concert also includes songs from World War I.
On Saturday, experience the rare opportunity to hear “Histoire du soldat” with the Kurt Vonnegut libretto. Vonnegut’s version tells the true story (with some artistic license) of Eddie Slovik, a World War II soldier who was executed for desertion during the war — the first soldier executed for that offense since the Civil War. Saturday’s performance contains strong language and sexually suggestive content that may not be appropriate for all audience members.
This weekend’s performances are part of “ReSounding the Archives: The Music of WWI,” a festival honoring the 100th anniversary of the end of the war, and funded by 4-VA, a collaborative partnership for advancing the Commonwealth of Virginia.