Igor Stravinsky – L’histoire du Soldat

It's some time ago I heard l'histoire last, and this is the first time I see it. I'd forgotten all about the plot of this tale. A good grasp of the plot is essential, or you won't know what you're watching. So, a brief synopsis from classicalarchives:

"The main characters in the work are the Narrator, the Soldier, the Princess, and the Devil, and the action unfolds over six scenes. The plot is fairly simple, a Faustian tale in which the Soldier trades his fiddle to the Devil for a magic book which can provide wealth. He later becomes disillusioned, loses his wealth, and meets the Devil again in a card game. He gets the devil drunk, regains his fiddle, and uses it to cure the local King¹s daughter, who has been ill. He then fends off the Devil with his fiddle playing, and marries the Princess. The Soldier lives happily until he decides to leave his new town and visit his old home. Once he leaves the safety of his new town, he is captured by the Devil, and must accompany him to Hell."

The ballet was written by Jiri Kylian, the Czech choreographer who was director of the Nederlands Dans Theater. For decennia, Kylian has been one of the world’s foremost choreographers in the field of modern dance.
Unfortunately, I haven't seen many ballets performed live. But the few I DID see didn't fail to leave a lasting impression on me. I usually left the theatre half in trance…and that's what good dancing is supposed to do: to put a spell on the audience. Well, magister Kylian (his name really sounds elfish, doesn't it!) knows a couple of ancient rites, although, admittedly, this may not be his most spectacular production.

Choreography - Jiri Kylian

Main dancers (from Nederlands Dans Theater):
Soldier - Nacho Duato
Devil - Aryeh Weiner
Mother - Teresina Mosco
Fiancee - Fiona Lummis
Princess - Karin Heyninck

Musicians (conducted by David Porcelijn):
Clarinet - Sjef Douwes, violin - Kees Hülsman, trumpet - Hendrick Jan Lindhout, bassoon - John Mostard, contrabass - Rudolf Senn, trombone - Henk Ummels, percussion - Geer de Zeeuw

Story teller - Gabriel Cattand
Libretto - C.F. Ramuz
Sets, costumes - John MacFarlane
Direction - Torbjörn Ehrnvall