One of the towering figures of twentieth-century music, Igor Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum, Russia on June 17, 1882 and died in New York City on April 6, 1971. While his best known works remain the three ballet scores based on Russian themes and scenarios—The Firebird, Petrouchka, and The Rite of Spring—composed for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in the early 1910s, Stravinsky wrote works that encompass many genres and explore a wide variety of musical styles, all of which bear his own distinctive traits. His ballet, Pulcinella, was written for the Ballets Russes and is based on a play dating from the 18th century. It was first performed at the Paris Opera on May 15, 1920 under the baton of Ernest Ansermet. Pablo Picasso was both costume and set designer for the premiere. In 1922 the composer compiled the eight-movement Pulcinella Suite, which was premiered in Boston on December 22 of that year with Pierre Monteux directing the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He revised the Suite twice, in 1949 and again in 1965. It is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, trumpet, trombone, and strings (divided into a solo group comprising 2 violins, viola, cello, and contrabass and a larger ensemble).
What is it about clowns? Why, on the one hand, do they bring laughter and delight to many, while at the same time seem frightening and repulsive to others? What, indeed, lies behind that painted smile? Ever since the rise of the Commedia dell’ Arte in the sixteenth century we know the archetypical clown by many names: Pierrot, Polichinelle, Pedrolino, Pagliaccio, Puncinella, Punch, Petrouchka, Kasperle, to name but a few. In most cases the “sad clown” figure pursues, with no luck, the beautiful Columbine. His rival for her affections is the character, Harlequin.
In 1911, Igor Stravinsky, the Russian ex-patriot composer residing in Paris created a dazzling ballet for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes entitled Petrouchka (performed by the Winston-Salem Symphony in 2016). Still smitten with this Commedia dell ‘Arte figure, Stravinsky in 1920 returned to a story involving the title character, now adopting the Italianate name of Pulcinella. This ballet score represented a new phase of Stravinsky’s style called neo-classicism. In this work the composer made modern adaptations of what he believed to have been melodies composed by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-36). It was later discovered that some of these pieces were from the pens of other, lesser known, composers. As Stravinsky wrote: “Pulcinella was my discovery of the past, the epiphany through which the whole of my late work became possible . . . but it was a look in the mirror, too.” Stravinsky’s “discovery of the past” was truly all encompassing, extending well beyond “neo-classical” to embrace the Renaissance, Baroque, and even Romantic eras. In the case of Pulcinella, unlike Petrouchka, the story ends happily for all its characters.
The eight movements that make up the Pulcinella Suite are delightful from start to finish. The mordant dryness of Stravinsky’s sharp rhythmic and metric style, so familiar from his earlier works, truly bring these 18th-century melodies into the 20th century in the most approachable manner. Recognizing that he had a “hit” on his hands, Stravinsky made further adaptations of excerpts from his ballet score, including two works entitled Suite italienne, respectively for violin and piano and cello and piano.
Program Note by David B. Levy, © 2018/2025