Written in exile in Switzerland, The Soldier’s Tale is Stravinsky’s musical farewell to Russia. To be ‘read, played and danced,’ a kaleidoscope of chorales, military marches and popular Western dance music (like ragtime), tells the story of the young soldier who sells his soul to the devil. The ensemble’s production of the…

In a program of four trios we hear Beethoven’s greatest Piano Trio, the Archduke, written at the end of his ‘heroic’ period. It has the amplitude, variety and formal elaboration of works such as the Seventh Symphony; it is crowned by a slow movement that is one Beethoven’s most extraordinary…

Praised as a child by Ravel, Françaix became one of the most prolific composers of the twentieth century. His aim was ‘to give pleasure… to be jolly most of the time - even comical.’ His Dixtuor is a sparkling showpiece for ten instruments. American composer Valerie Coleman often pays homage to earlier…

French and Australian works bring the season to a glittering conclusion. Jean Anouilh’s satirical comedy, known in English as Ring Round the Moon and worthy of Wodehouse or Waugh, inspired Poulenc’s highly amusing incidental music of dances and parodic character pieces to illustrate the comic intrigues at a lavish ball. Gabriel Fauré’s…