Stravinsky’s Pulcinella

Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ice Maiden inspired Stravinsky’s ballet The Fairy’s Kiss, the score of which is an homage to his childhood hero, Tchaikovsky. Stravinsky reimagined several of the composer’s early piano works and songs with his own surprisingly romantic interpretation. Stravinsky’s ballet Pulcinella displays the avant-garde, neoclassical approach for which the composer is known, using ideas of the past in a modern context, in this case 17th-century Italian commedia dell’arte, reimagining Baroque sounds with more rhythm, colour, and harmony. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra holds the distinction of hosting the final conducting appearance Stravinsky made in his lifetime, leading the Orchestra in a suite from Pulcinella. Just as Stravinsky was inspired by literary and musical figures, famed Canadian pianist Glenn Gould was fascinated by British Pop star Petula Clark, which Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy channels in our opening work, blending elements of rock and pop with classical orchestration to create a truly unique sound.