Composer Michael Doherty opened the night. Doherty is one of the most commissioned, performed and recorded composers on the American concert scene today. On the night we were there, the symphony performed Doherty's March of the Metro - his new work dedicated to the upcoming opening of the Phoenix monorail. It was a very well performed march.
We listened to the Symphony 2 in D Major, Op.36 by Beethoven and finally made it to the Petrushka. Petrushka is a story of a Russian traditional puppet, who is made of straw and with a bag of sawdust as his body, but who comes to life and has the capacity to love. Unfortunately, Petrushka gets stabbed to death in this version of the famous story and then reappears on the ceiling of the symphony hall. The music was accompanied by a very good puppet show ( puppeteer Basil Twist).
A Balerina, Petrushka and what looked like a scary pirate were the main characters of the show.
Stravinsky composed the music during the winter of 1910–11 for Sergey Diagilev's ( Сергей Дягилев) Ballet. It was premièred in Paris with choreography by Mikhail Fokin (Михаил Фокин). The title role was danced by Васлав Нижинский. While the production was generally a success, more than a few observers were taken aback by music that was brittle, caustic, and at times even grotesque. When Diaghilev and his company traveled to Vienna in 1913, the Vienna Philharmonic initially refused to play the score, deriding Petrushka as schmutzige Musik ("dirty music").
Right before the Metro March by Doherty:
During the intermission:
The dog slept through most of the performance, only to wake up occasionally to watch the puppets.
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