New Arrangement Fresh Off the Press: Stravinsky's Petrouchka

Ever thought a ballet could be performed by five musicians? Neither did we, until Sam came out with his newest arrangement of Igor Stravinsky's Petrouchka! Originally a full scale ballet about a hand-puppet’s fatal infatuation for his ballerina counterpart, Petrouchka was a pivotal piece that brought Stravinsky immense acclaim in the highly critical arts scene of 1911 Paris. The piece is an imaginative meshing of cultures, bringing to France a classic character of Russian marionette shows–who originated in Italian puppet shows and appeared under different names throughout medieval Europe.

Pictured to the left is the famed Vaslav Nijinsky as the ballet’s namesake in its premiere. A prolific arranger himself, Stravinsky often transcribed his own works, including Petrouchka. After its success as a ballet, he then made it into an orchestral suite, a virtuosic solo piano work written for Arthur Rubinstein, a piano four-hand work.

Here is an excerpt of Sam Hong’s new arrangement of for piano quartet–without dancers or puppets (for now):

Check out the full movement, The Shrovetide Fair here.

Recorded at the Curtis Institute of Music’s Gould in Philadelphia, PA.

Abi Fayette, violin
Stephanie Zyzak, violin
Haeji Kim, viola
Zachary Mowitz, cello
Janice Carissa, piano

Stay tuned for the entire arrangement next season!