College of Central Florida will host a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale” on Saturday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Charles R. Dassance Fine Arts Center, located at 3001 S.W. College Road in Ocala.
“The Soldier’s Tale” was written in 1918 in the midst of the Spanish Flu pandemic. The piece was specifically written for a smaller ensemble – requiring fewer musicians and allowing for travel during a time of pandemic. “The Soldier’s Tale” is a theatrical work written for not only musicians, but also for accompanying narrators and dancers (Stravinsky was most known for his ballets). The production will feature seven musicians, one narrator and one dancer under the artistic direction of Trey Moore, instructor of Trumpet.
The work tells the story of a soldier who sells his music box (a representation of his soul) to the devil in exchange for economic prosperity. Eventually, the solider falls in love and realizes he wants his soul returned, and proceeds to trick the devil to get it back. He is successful in his attempt but with one remaining stipulation – the soldier must never return to his hometown. Eventually, the soldier’s love insists that they go together to take the soldier’s ailing mother from the town. The soldier agrees, but upon entering the town’s boundaries, is pulled to his death by the devil.
The performance is being presented for free by CF and is available to the public. Tickets can be reserved at www.CF.edu/VPATickets. In adherence to COVID-19 protocols, seating is extremely limited. Reserve your seats early to help guarantee a spot in the theater.
To keep the audience, staff and musicians safe, seating in the theater will be physically distanced and masks will be required for the audience through the entire duration of the performance. String musicians will wear masks, and wind instruments will have covers over parts of their instruments to limit air spread.
To learn more about CF, visit, www.CF.edu.