Click Here for Video Sample! Narration Adapted & Performed by Roger Waters On 180g Audiophile Double LP!
The Soldier's Tale is a theatrical work "to be read, played, and danced" by three actors (the soldier, the devil, and a narrator) and dancers, accompanied by a septet of instruments. The libretto relates the parable of a soldier who trades his fiddle to the devil in return for unlimited economic gain. The music is scored for a septet of violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, cornet or trumpet, trombone, and percussion. The libretto is adapted by Roger Waters from the translation by Michael Flanders and Kitty Black, based on the original text by Charles-Ferdinand Ramus.
As the work opens, Joseph, a Russian soldier, marches toward his hometown on leave, pack in tow. ("Marche du soldat"/"The Soldier's March") He rests by a stream and rummages through his pack. First he takes out his lucky St. Joseph medallion, then a mirror, then a photograph of his girlfriend. Finally, he finds what he was searching for: his fiddle. He begins to play. ("Petit airs au bord du ruisseau"/"Airs by a Stream") The devil appears disguised as an old man carrying a butterfly net, but Joseph does not notice him and continues to play. The devil sneaks up on Joseph from behind and startles him.
The Soldier's Tale package includes 2 printed inner sleeves with lyrics and pictures.
"I'm hugely proud of it and I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to be part of a production of what I consider to be not just a great piece of work from Stravinsky, but I think it's an amazingly beautiful piece of recording." - Roger Waters
Features:
• 180g Audiophile Vinyl
• Double LP
• Gatefold sleeve
• PVC protective sleeve
• 2 printed inner sleeves with lyrics and pictures
• 2018 album
• Import
Selections:
Side One:
Part I:
1. The Soldiers March
2. Slogging homeword...
3. Airs By A Stream
4. As You Can Hear...
5. The Soldiers March (Reprise)
6. Eventually, Joseph Reaches His Home Village...
Side Two:
1. Pastorale
2. The Soldier, Disconsolate
3. Pastorale, Reprise
4. The Soldier, Slowly Coming Back To Himself
5. Airs By A Stream (Reprise): To Stretch Out On The Grass
6. Hey Satan, You Bastard
7. Airs By A Stream (2nd Reprise)
8. Naught To Be Gained Here
Side Three:
Part II:
1. The Soldiers March (2nd Reprise): Down A Hot And Dusty Track
2. He Doesn't Even Know Himself
3. The Soldiers March, (3rd Reprise): Will He Take The Road To Home
4. He Doesn't Have A Home Anymore
5. The Royal March
6. So All Was Arranged
7. Later That Night
8. The Little Concert: Light Floods The Eastern Sky
Side Four:
1. The Soldier, With A Confident Air
2. Three Dances: Tango (part 1)
3. Three Dances: Tango (part 2)
4. Three Dances: Waltz & Ragtime
5. So First A Tango
6. The Devil's Dance
7. The Devil, Confused
8. The Little Chorale
9. The Devil Recovers Some Of His Wits
10. The Devil's Song: All Right! You'll Be Safe At Home
11. Hm, A Fair Warning
12. Grand Chorale (Part 1)
13. Spring, Summer, Autumn
14. Grand Chorale (Part 2)
15. Steady Now
16. Grand Chorale (Part 3)
17. Steady, Just Smell The Flowers
18. Grand Chorale (Part 4)
19. Now I Have Everything
20. Grand Chorale (Part 5)
21. The Princess, All Excited
22. Grand Chorale (Part 6)
23. And So, Off They Go
24. Triumphal March Of The Devil
