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Stravinsky: Petrushka

Seamus Ryan

Word Count: 430

Petrushka is my favourite orchestral work of Stravinsky’s for many reasons— the

devilish arpeggiated piano lines, the grounding in the tragic yet comical story of the

corpified traditional puppet, and most of all the ingenuity of Stravinsky in musically

conveying the range of character with his orchestration and his harmonic virtuosity.

I think, however, that the music itself does benefit hugely from its participation in

‘Gesamtkunstwerk’. That is to say, it is very much programme music that can stand

on its own, such is the effect of its musical evocation. This— despite never venturing

into the challenging serialism that Stravinsky would practice later, was an incredibly

difficult work to put on in all facets. In the original rehearsals for the Ballets Russes,

the dancers found much difficulty in navigating the labyrinthine rhythms Stravinsky

had embedded in the piece, Michael Fokine in particular recalls that:

‘Af ter the appearance of the masqueraders, the 5/8 count is played at a very rapid pace. This

was so difficult to grasp that my rehearsal changed into a lesson in rhythmics.’ 1 

Petrushka, despite being bound to balletic confined, considerably broadened the

boundaries of that medium.

There are so many fantastic moments and passages in Petrushka to recall; the

flute solo of the puppeteer, the sequence of the death of Petrushka the puppet, the

ending of the second tableau, but I would have to say that my favourite sequence is

the Russian dance from the first tableau. Alexandre Benois, who worked with

1 Michael Fokine, Memoirs of a Ballet Master , Vitale Fokine (trans.), (Boston, Little,

Brown and Company, 1961) 187-8.

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Stravinsky in the early stages of the orchestration, and pushed Stravinsky to develop

the initial concept, put it best when he said:

‘The Russian Dance proved to be really magic music in which infectious diabolical recklessness

alternated with strange digressions into tenderness— then, after a culminating paroxysm,came to an abrupt end.’  2 

In my opinion, the Russian dance is the perfect culmination of all of the components

of Stravinsky’s music— pulsating rhythms, shifting harmonics, creative

orchestration and playful melodies. I find it amazing how it seems to me that

Stravinsky incorporates all the elements fully and wholly without them impeaching

on each other, or sacrificing the overall composition of the piece. As a critic said

following the premiere of Petrushka, ‘Stravinsky’s music is delicious’3. While

Petrushka may not have caused riots like his following Sacre du Printemps soon

would, but despite that it was just as revolutionary within ballet and formed the

touchstone for the rest of Stravinsky’s music. I really enjoy listening to this piece

because no matter how many times you listen to it, there will be something new to

notice always.

2 Alexandre Benois, Reminiscences of the Russian Ballet, Mary Britnieva (trans.),

(London, Putnam & Company, 1941) 324-6.3 Charles Haam (ed.), Petrushka: An Authoritative Score of the Original Version,

(London, W.W. Norton & Company, 1967) 15.