Matthew Szymanski, Conductor
Join us for a literal night at the theater as Phoenix Prime returns in person for the first time in over 18 months. We’re excited to be one of the very first groups to play in the fantastically renovated Crystal Ballroom at Davis Square’s iconic Somerville Theater. The night’s program is (you guessed it) all about the theater! We open our season with a premiere of an arrangement of Tom Wiggins’s theatrical Battle of Manassas by Boston’s own Jonathan Bailey Holland, then we’re joined by 99.5 CRB’s Christopher Voss for Igor Stravinsky’s two-act parable: L’Histoire du Soldat.
Battle of Manassas
Thomas WIGGINS arr. Jonathan Bailey HOLLAND
World Premiere, Phoenix Commission
We are so pumped to be kicking off our first live performance in so long with a Phoenix commission: A brand new arrangement of Tom Wiggins’s amazing Battle of Manassas by Boston’s own Jonathan Bailey Holland. The piece uses impressionistic musical descriptions to take us through the narrative of the battle. From marching column and cannon shot to retreats and even the background noise of ducks and trains.
L’Histoire du Soldat
Igor STRAVINSKY
Chris Voss, Narrator
Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier’s Tale) is a theatrical work written for a unique instrumental septet of violin, bass, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, and percussion. It can be performed any number of ways including with a single actor or three actors, and with or without dancers.
The script, originally written by Swiss writer C. F. Ramuz, is based on “The Runaway Soldier and the Devil,” a Russian folk tale by Alexander Afanasyev. It tells the story of a soldier who decides to trade his dear old fiddle to the devil in exchange for a book the devil tells him contains the secret to untold wealth.
The story is a parable so, of course, things don’t work out exactly the way the soldier would like. You’ll have to come to the show on the 14th to find out what happens! We’re so lucky to be joined by the fantastic Chris Voss as narrator for this special performance of The Soldier’s Tale at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom.