A fairytale about a deserter, the devil, a violin and a princess. We know that things rarely end well when the devil gets involved – and the Russian musical story L’Histoire du Soldat is no exception to the rule. Igor Stravinsky wrote this work ‘to read, play and sing’ in the war-torn year 1918, intending it for performance by a small theatre company or even in the open air. The original stage setting, inspired both aesthetically and practically by travelling fairs and troupes of actors, evokes images of street musicians. The Salzburger Marionettentheater and director Matthias Bundschuh make the puppets – designed by the German artist Georg Baselitz (!) – dance to Stravinsky’s jazz-inspired score. The aptly named Isabelle Faust picks up her violin to unleash the devil.
