On Sunday, the Music Gallery hosts a concert presentation of a multimedia and multi-genre remake of Igor Stravinsky’s 95-year-old piece of musical theatre, Histoire du soldat (The Soldier’s tale).
The original, written around a Russian folk tale of a soldier being tempted by the devil, has a moral that applies as well to a kindergartener as a big-city mayor: “No one can have it all, that is forbidden. You must learn to choose between.”
The Toronto creative team, which includes sound artist John Gzowski, video artist Andy Moro and choreographer Michael Greyeyes, has updated the story to include the perspective of First Nations soldiers who served in World War II as well as the war in Iraq.
Gzowski has introduced a mix of new sounds that include references to blues and Arabic music. Greyeyes supplies narration and Moro the video projections.
Singer Maryem Tollar joins a band that includes percussionist Deb Sinha, string player Andrew Downing, Peter Lutek on reeds and David Sait on guzheng (the traditional Chinese zither).
Stravinsky was, in the aftermath of World War I as Europe tried to piece itself back together, trying to provoke his audiences. This Toronto effort aims to provide that edge in a context that reflects a Canadian perspective.
You’ll find all the details here.
John Terauds