I first got into Igor Stravinsky through mid-80’s hardcore punk.
One of my favorite bands in high school, Rites of Spring, was named after the
Stravinsky piece that first premiered in 1913. After a little research, I
found a small section of it that sucked me in. I had never heard such
intense, captivating, violent composition in classical music before, and I was
instantly a fan. In all honesty, you could almost hear the similarity
between such purportedly different genres of punk and classical; heavy,
pugilistic melodies and dissonances swirling around sharp polyrythms, building
and falling in ways people had never heard before (Stravinsky’s work caused a
riot the first time it was performed).
It goes without saying then, that I’m ecstatic about the
performance tonight of Stravinsky’s work “A Soldier’s Tale” at
Buffalo Seminary. A collaboration performance between the Buffalo
Soundpainting Ensemble and the Buffalo Chamber players, the work tells the
story of a soldier who trades his soul (embodied as a violin) for a book that
predicts the future, and features sets inspired by Buffalo artist Martha
Visser’t Hooft’s sketches for a performance done by the BPO in 1951.
For fans of both classical and more experimental music, this
show promises to be an incredible experience. Stravinsky’s compositions
often feature sharp dynamic shifts and complex rhythmic patterns that create an
engaging soundscape for the story will play out on. Complemented by
Visser’t Hooft’s set designs, this rendition of “A Soldier’s Tale”
weds classical art from the world stage with the works of our own native
artists, and in combination with the intimate atmosphere of Buffalo Seminary,
could be the show to see this year.
Doors at 6PM for an exhibition of the work of
Martha Visser’t hooft, Performance at 7PM. $15 adults/$5 students. Tonight!