Post-Classical Ensemble Examines How Stravinsky Used Multi-Ethnic Music Of Far Northwest Ukraine To Revolutionize 20th C. Western Music And Theater

Stravinsky Museum in Ustilug, Ukraine, Former Russian Empire.
Former summer home of the Stravinsky family.

Post-Classical Ensemble Stravinsky Project, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, at Georgetown University (MacNeir Hall), the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and Strathmore Hall, North Bethesda.

Georgetown University's multimedia Friday Music Series launches the festival with two innovative adaptations of Stravinsky's music for ballet -- new woodwind quintet arrangement of Stravinsky’s groundbreaking The Rite of Springand the lyrical Suite Italienne performed by members of the Kennedy Center Opera House orchestra and Ralitza Patcheva, piano and Vasily Popov, cello.

The National Gallery of Art hosts two film biographies — Tony Palmer's Stravinsky: Once at a Border and Richard Leacock's A Stravinsky Portrait (D.C. premiere) — with commentary and a live piano performance by Alexander Toradze.

On Sunday starting at noon (the only ticketed events), The Stravinsky Project features five Russian pianists, three music historians, films, photographs, and an American premiere of Les Noces featuring a waist-length bearded pianola player from London.

Three Russian pianists — Alexander Toradze, George Vatchnadze, and Genadi Zagor — reveal the soul of Stravinsky’s music in this chronological survey of the composer’s works for piano, including his two-piano arrangement of The Rite of Spring, the Washington-area premiere of Scherzo from the Sonata in F Sharp Minor, Tango, Piano Sonata, Concerto for Two Solo Pianos and an improvisation that references each of the works.

Earlier afternoon celebratory events:

1. The Stravinsky Odyssey: films and photographs by Katya Chilingiri. One-day only exhibition of photographs documenting Stravinsky’s odyssey from Russia to Switzerland to France to California, along with Chilingiri’s filmed interviews with his descendants. Chilingiri will offer a guided tour, followed by discussion.

2. Rex Lawson performs Stravinsky's final pianola version of Les Noces (American premiere) in a rarely heard version for solo pianola (mechanical piano) created by the composer.

3. Using archival recordings, film, and music in live performance, pianists Alexander Toradze, George Vatchnadze, and Genadi Zagor take issue with Stravinsky.

Sunday concert at Strathmore

Program
Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Winds
Stravinsky: Symphonies for Wind Instruments
Stravinsky: Danse Sacrale from The Rite of Spring, arranged for four pianos and percussion (D.C. premiere)
Stravinsky: Les Noces

Artists
Alexander Toradze, piano
George Vatchnadze, piano
Genadi Zagor, piano
Vakhtang Kodanashvili, piano
Edisher Savitski, piano
The Washington Bach Consort (J. Reilly Lewis, Founder & Music Director)
Angel Gil-Ordóñez, conductor

Classical WETA-FM interview Angel Gil-Ordóñez and Joseph Horowitz about the Stravinsky Project, recorded on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 as part of the Classical Conversations series.

Photo credits: (c) Katya Chilingiri 2011 and
Baker Artist Awards Copyright © 2011.

Interior photo of Stravinsky Museum, Ustilug, Ukraine (c) danilovd 2011. Copyright controlled. All rights reserved.