Le roi des étoiles

Le Roi des étoiles ( German "King of the Stars" or "Star King ", Russian Звездоликий or Zwesdóliki ) is a cantata written by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky ( 1882-1971 ) in the years 1911 /12. The Claude Debussy was premiered works dedicated until 1939.

Genesis and first performance

In the winter of 1911/12, ie in close temporal proximity to the ballet The Rite of Spring, Igor Stravinsky wrote in Ukrainian Ustilug the cantata Le Roi des étoiles on a text by the Russian poet Konstantin Balmont.

Stravinsky dedicated the work to Claude Debussy, with whom he amicably wrong in France. Debussy wrote in a thank you letter to Stravinsky on 18 August 1913: "The music of Le Roi des Etoiles remains extraordinary. [ ... ] I do not see where one could perform the cantata, except on the Sirius and Aldebaran. As far as our humble planet, I would venture to say that it remains submerged for the listener as in an abyss. "

In fact, although the work was published in 1913 by Verlag Jurgenson, but came, not least because of its considerable practical performance difficulties, only on 19 April 1939 premiere ( in Brussels with the Orchestre de la Radio de Bruxelles under the direction of Franz André ). The German premiere took place in 1957 at the West German Radio in Cologne, Hans Rosbaud. Le Roi des étoiles is still one of the least known compositions Stravinsky.

Work

The only 54 cycles comprehensive, nearly 6 - minute composition requires a 6- voice male choir and a large orchestra following instrumentation: piccolo, 3 flutes (3rd piccolo ), 4 oboes (4th and English horn), 4 clarinets (one in It ), 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 8 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, tam-tam, two harps, celesta and triply divided strings.

The highly differentiated orchestral writing is not accompanying, but also largely independent of the multi-divided men's voices, which the performers demanded high intonation. A leading motto, minor and major unexpected side by side; bitonal layers also influence the further course. Compositionally to Stravinsky approached here strongly impressionistic sound notions of Debussy and Scriabin Alexander in a way that he should no longer be pursued in later compositions.

The symbolist - eschatological poem Konstantin Balmont is in German translation:

His face was like the sun at the hour when they Zenit the achieved. His eyes were like the stars the aufstrahlend through the sky overthrow. The colors of the rainbow were woven and elaborately inserted in the splendid garb, the re Risen wore. Around him the Thursday reddened in the torn, enraged clouds, Seven and seven golden stars, burned like candles in front of him. The grapes from the blazing lightning bloomed like flowers on the steep Slope. > Do you Keep the commandments? ' On his question scholl our cry, 'Yes, Lord I am the first and the last. ' At his word the thunder boomed Reply. > The Earth Hour is come, ' said the Sternenäugige, > Makes the sickle ready! Amen. ' We, the flock of the faithful, stan - on the. In the sky the clouds blazed, Seven and seven golden stars, pointed the way to the limit of Desert.