The CSO's Access Series to Explore Stravinsky's PETROUCHKA

Led by CSO Music Director Rossen Milanov, this Access Series concert is devoted to the inimitable world of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and his groundbreaking ballet, Pétrouchka. Featuring a kaleidoscope of Russian scenes, the CSO will examine the different musical and stylistic layers that make the work so fascinating.

The CSO's innovative Access Series offers audiences a deeper connection with great works of classical music and the musicians of the CSO. Designed by Milanov, these budget-friendly concerts feature a single work that is examined bit-by-bit with the CSO playing a few measures at a time. After intermission, the entire piece is played without interruption, providing audiences with a new appreciation of its meaning and context beyond mere beauty.

This CSO Access Series concert event will be presented at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) on Thursday, November 10, at 6:30 pm. General admission tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.

About Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century, Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Igor Stravinsky achieved international fame with three ballets commissioned by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev, and first performed in Paris by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes-The Firebird (1910), Pétrouchka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913). The last of these transformed the way in which subsequent composers thought about rhythmic structure, and was largely responsible for Stravinsky's enduring reputation as a musical revolutionary who pushed the boundaries of musical design. His "Russian phase" which continued with works such as Renard, The Soldier's Tale, and Les Noces, was followed in the 1920s by a period in which he turned to neoclassical music.

Pétrouchka

Pétrouchka is a ballet burlesque in four scenes. It was first performed by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on June 13, 1911. The work brings together music, dance, and design in a unified whole, and was one of the most popular of the Ballets Russes productions.

Synopsis

Pétrouchka tells the story of three puppets brought to life by the Charlatan, a street magician, during the 1830 Shrovetide Fair, a pre-Lent carnival in St. Petersburg, Russia. The jester Pétrouchka fervently loves the Ballerina, but she prefers the Moor. When the Ballerina rejects Pétrouchka, he attacks the Moor out of anger and grief. Ultimately, the Moor kills Pétrouchka, and his ghost rises above the puppet theatre. With an angry and defiant cry, the ghost shakes his fist at the terrified Charlatan, leaving all to wonder who is "real" and who is not.

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Photo credit: Randall L. Schieber

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