#6: Igor Stravinsky: The End of the End
Series: Stravinsky@125
From: Jackson Braider
Length: 00:17:29
- Playing
- #6: Igor Stravinsky: The End of the End
- From
- Jackson Braider
The Requiem Canticles counted among Igor Stravinsky's last commissioned works. Dedicated to the memory of one Helen Buchanan Seeger, the work was scored for orchestra, three percussionists, harp, chorus, and four singers. In this last edition of Stravinsky@125, independent producer Jackson Braider explores two performances of the Requiem Canticles: the premiere at Princeton University and their performance at Stravinsky's funeral. Including archive audio from CBS television news, this story features John Heiss of New England Conservatory and Gregg Smith, Stravinsky's choir master of choice.
More from Jackson Braider
Stravinsky @ 1-2-5: Three Glances at the Composer's Mirror
(01:00:25)
From: Jackson Braider
Three essays about different aspects of Stravinsky's life and work
#5: Igor Stravinsky and the Art of the Miniature
(00:16:24)
From: Jackson Braider
Beloved for his full-length ballets, Stravinsky also created a surprising array of very short pieces for orchestra
#4: Toute Suite: Stravinsky, from the Ballet Theater to the Concert Hall
(00:13:53)
From: Jackson Braider
How -- and why -- Stravinsky revised theatrical pieces for the concert hall
#3: Hang Time with Igor at Post 43
(00:16:18)
From: Jackson Braider
The unusual setting where Igor Stravinsky conducted many of his recordings -- Hollywood Post 43 of the American Legion
#2: The Rite of Spring, or when Lenny met Igor
(00:13:16)
From: Jackson Braider
Few musical works have inspired so many stories as Stravinsky's 1913 hit, The Rite of Spring. These are just three or four of them.
#1: The Birth, Reversion, and Rebirth of "The Soldier's Tale"
(00:29:00)
From: Jackson Braider
The 46-year history behind a new release of Stravinsky's "The Soldier's Tale"
The 2009 Boston Handbell Festival
(00:05:40)
From: Jackson Braider
On May 19, 100 handbell ringers will descend on Old South Church in Boston. Independent producer Jackson Braider offers the skinny on what listeners might expect to hear.
You Are Here: 1000 years of mapmaking history in one brief segment
(00:08:50)
From: Jackson Braider
A short introduction to the wonderful world of maps
Tales of an Irish M.D.
(00:59:03)
From: Jackson Braider
A collection of diverse tales told in 1962 by a Dublin heart doctor.
Michael and the Silver Fox
(00:04:08)
From: Jackson Braider
Michael, a fisherman's gilly in the County Mayo, uses all his wits to get a rare pelt.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
The Requiem Canticles counted among Igor Stravinsky's last commissioned works. Dedicated to the memory of one Helen Buchanan Seeger, the work was scored for orchestra, three percussionists, harp, chorus, and four singers. In this last edition of Stravinsky@125, independent producer Jackson Braider explores two performances of the Requiem Canticles: the premiere at Princeton University and their performance at Stravinsky's funeral. Including archive audio from CBS television news, this story features John Heiss of New England Conservatory and Gregg Smith, Stravinsky's choir master of choice.
Broadcast History
never aired
Transcript
Stravinsky: The End at the End
Any editor will tell you: a story has to have a beginning, a middle and an end ? not necessarily in that order. Consider the one that closed the CBS Evening News on Thursday, April 15, 1971.
(An unprecedented scene in an ancient basilica in Italy. The people of Venice pay a last great tribute to a foreign artist, a Russian-born American citizen who wished to be buried among them)
Almost half a minute into the story and the reporter, Winston Burdett, still hasn't mentioned the name of that foreign artist ? and for good reason: Igor Stravinsky in life was one who ?needs no introduction;? to the CBS Evening News who gave Stravinsky's funeral 3 minutes of coverage in a half hour of news, the composer needed no introduction in death, either.
(0:38: The king of contemporary music, Igor Stravinsky... Venice which applauded him so often in his li...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
0:00 Any editor will tell you ...
17:30 Music fade and out
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Requiem Canticles | Igor Stravinsky | Robert Craft Conducts. | Sony Classical | 1991 | 15:00 |
Related Website
James Reiss
Posted on June 07, 2007 at 06:18 PM | Permalink
Review of #6: Igor Stravinsky: The End of the End
For public radio buffs, Jackson Braider has been, among other things, Stravinsky's Boswell. The fact that "Prince Igor" is worlds apart from that 18th-century Brit, Dr. Samuel Johnson, is beside the point. Braider is determined to whoop it up on Stravinsky's 125th birthday, June 17, 2007, come hell or high fashion. No matter that minimalism a la Philip Glass and Steve Reich has been in vogue for the past 30 years. No matter that such unlikely music-fellows as David Del Tredici and John Adams have superseded the Russian master. In 2007 Stravinsky continues to grab us by the earlobes and the heartstrings.
I've raved about Braider's piece on "La Histoire du Soldat." I'll confess that, until now, I never heard Stravinsky's "Requiem Canticles," which Braider presents in dollops so tempting I want to say, "C'mon, Jackson, gimme more!"
In fact, Braider gives us behind-the-CBS-Evening-News sound bites of one of Maestro Igor's final works, his "Canticles," as recalled by two musicians privy to be involved in the initial performance of this 12-tone, 8-movement piece. John Heiss's perfect pitch contributed to what might have been a botched premiere of the "Canticles."
Secondly, the renowned arranger and choirmaster, Gregg Smith, gives us an at-home view of the elderly Stravinsky as a "pixyish guy" who served him borscht. Smith helped undress the diminutive musical giant for the night. According to Smith, Stravinsky was "very well endowed for a little guy"!
Braider's piece may not appeal to the same demographic as the recent 40th anniversary blitz of "Sergeant Pepper" songs. When it comes to Stravinsky, who revolutionized early 20th century music, however, there are endless pleasures to be derived from "The End of the End."