An American Soldier’s Tale: Histoire du Soldat – American Chamber Winds

An American Soldier’s Tale: Histoire du Soldat – American Chamber Winds
Catalog number: 532

Tracks:

01 L'Histoire du Soldat - I. The General's Introduction
comp: Igor Stravinsky, Kurt Vonnegut
02 L'Histoire du Soldat - II. The Soldier's March
03 L'Histoire du Soldat - III. Airs by a Stream
04 L'Histoire du Soldat - IV. The Soldier's March, Reprise 1
05 L'Histoire du Soldat - V. Pastorale
06 L'Histoire du Soldat - VI. Airs by a Stream, Reprise
07 L'Histoire du Soldat - VII. The Soldier's March, Reprise 2
08 L'Histoire du Soldat - VIII. Royal March
09 L'Histoire du Soldat - IX. Little Concert
10 L'Histoire du Soldat - X. Three Dances; Tango, Waltz, Ragtime
11 L'Histoire du Soldat - XI. The Devil's Dance
12 L'Histoire du Soldat - XII. Little Chorale
13 L'Histoire du Soldat - XIII. The Devil's Song
14 L'Histoire du Soldat - XIV. Grand Chorale
15 L'Histoire du Soldat - XV. Triumphal March of the Devil
16 Suite from L'Histoire du Soldat - I. Marche du Soldat
comp: Igor Stravinsky
17 Suite from L'Histoire du Soldat - II. Le Violon du Soldat
18 Suite from L'Histoire du Soldat - III. Petit Concert
19 Suite from L'Histoire du Soldat - IV. Tango-Valse-Rag
20 Suite from L'Histoire du Soldat - V. La Danse du Diable

The first recording of Kurt Vonnegut’s libretto! Vonnegut’s libretto is loosely based on The Execution of Private Slovik, a nonfiction book by William Bradford Huie published in 1954. The resulting version is a highly controversial yet entertaining fusion of Stravinsky’s music and the edgy, abrupt Vonnegut text. This is an American soldier’s tale that doesn’t have a happy ending. In the Vonnegut libretto there are four spoken roles, that of the General (narrator), Private Slovik, a Red Cross Nurse, and a Military Policemen.

The work has only been performed a few times.