The Soldier's Tale

Specials

Specials

A vibrant and bold new take on The Soldier's Tale, Stravinsky's dark masterpiece of music theatre about a soldier who trades his soul to the devil in return for untold riches. Shot in contemporary Manchester to underline the work's universal themes, this powerful film embraces a rich mix of locations: out along the city's waterways, up among the skyline of an industrial car park, in hidden passages and pubs, under the stage of Bridgewater Hall for a devilish game of cards, and on stage where the musicians of the Hallé, directed by Sir Mark Elder, form a central part of the action. A work devised to be 'read, played and danced', it is set to some of Stravinsky's most entertaining and affecting music. Stravinsky created The Soldier's Tale in 1918 in Switzerland, isolated in the middle of a Europe at war. The artists worked in improvised, under-funded circumstances.