Transcript Stravinsky - Petroushka - Carl Topilow, Conductor

Petrouchka
First Part
The Shrovetide Fair
A group of tipsy merrymakers passes by.
The old showman of the fair entertains the crowd.
In the crowd appears an organ-grinder with a
street dancer.
The organ grinder begins to play.
The street dancer dances, beating time on the
triangle.
The organ-grinder turns the crank with one hand
and plays the cornet with the other.
At the other end of the stage, a music box plays,
around which another street dancer dances.
The first dancer again beats the triangle.
The barrel organ and music box stop. The
showman again attracts the crowd’s attention.
The merrymakers return.
An old magician appears…
…and grumbles.
He shows his three puppets to the crowd:
Petrouchka, the Ballerina, and the Moor.
He claims that he can bring them to life.
He plays his magical flute…
…and waves his arms over them.
Finally, he touches each with his magic wand.
Russian Dance: Petrouchka, the Ballerina, and the
Moor spring to life in a wild dance.
A police whistle disperses the crowd.
Second Part
Petrouchka is violently kicked into his cell by the
old magician.
More than the others, Petrouchka has been
endowed with human feelings and passions.
He resents bitterly the cruelty of the magician…
...his bondage, his exclusion from ordinary life,
and his ridiculous appearance.
He curses his fate.
He thinks of the beautiful Ballerina, whom he
adores...
…and of the brutish Moor, whom he despises.
The Ballerina appears at Petrouchka’s door.
Petrouchka confesses his love for her…
…but the Ballerina rejects him and leaves abruptly.
Petrouchka is depressed by the rejection…
…and starts pacing frantically around the room.
Once again, he curses his fate.
In anger he punches a hole in his wall.
Third Part
The Moor’s Cell
The Moor is luxuriously dressed, lounging on his
sofa and eating a coconut.
Through the new hole in his wall, Petrouchka spies
on the Moor.
The Moor admires his splendid appearance in a
mirror.
Petrouchka loathes his vulgar rival.
Impressed by what he sees in the mirror, the Moor
dances.
The Ballerina appears in the Moor’s doorway.
Fascinated by his rich appearance, the Ballerina
dances for the Moor.
The brute expresses interest in the lovely
Ballerina…
She invites him to dance.
The Ballerina and the Moor waltz together.
Her delicate steps contrast harshly with his vulgar
lurching.
Petrouchka, burning with jealousy, screams from
the next room.
The Ballerina and the Moor stop dancing, alarmed
by the shriek.
Convinced that it was nothing, they resume their
dance.
(Petrouchka curses both of them under his
breath.)
From afar, Petrouchka’s cry is heard…
He bursts into the room, hurling curses at the
Ballerina and the Moor.
The Moor chases Petrouchka around the room,
then out the door.
Fourth Part
Shrovetide Fair
Dance of the Wet-Nurses
A bear-tamer appears with his beast.
A merchant enters, throwing bank notes to the
crowd.
He is accompanied by a band of gypsies.
Dance of the Coachmen
Masqueraders appear…
They whip the crowd into a frenzy.
Petrouchka comes scurrying into the midst of the
festivities, hotly pursued by the Moor.
There is a violent scuffle between them.
Petrouchka tries to flee…
…but is stabbed by the Moor’s saber.
Petrouchka falls, cracking his head on the ground.
The dying Petrouchka curses his fate once more.
The police arrive, bringing the old magician.
The magician tries to reassure everyone, and in
his hands, Petrouchka becomes a puppet again.
He shakes the puppet, to prove that his head is
wooden and his body is filled with sawdust.
Satisfied with the magician’s demonstration, the
crowd disperses.
The ghost of Petrouchka now appears on a
rooftop…
He leers mockingly at the old magician and all
whom he has fooled!