Figueroa tackles dramatic piece

Guillermo Figueroa thinks that Igor Stravinsky’s “L’histoire du Soldat” could have been written for The Figueroa Project.

Could have, though the timing wasn’t quite right.

Stravinsky wrote the experimental theatrical work in 1918. The Figueroa Project wasn’t born until 2011. But Figueroa, the project’s artistic director, was making a point.

	If you go WHAT: The Figueroa Project WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday, March 10 and 2 p.m. March 11 WHERE: KiMo Theatre, 423 W. Central HOW MUCH: $25 reserved seating or $50 reserved seating and VIP reception. Tickets available in advance at www.holdmyticket.com, by calling 886-1251 or at the door

“The work embodies all the goals that we are aiming to be – an organization that is centered on music but features the other arts – dancing, drama and occasionally with video,” he said.

Stravinsky’s work, Figueroa said, is basically a theater piece with two actor-dancers, a dancer, a narrator and seven musicians.

Figueroa is conducting the septet and Patricia Dickinson Wells is the co-choreographer of the seven sections of dance. The other co-choreographers are Joe Moncada and Louis Giannini, who are the actor-dancers.

“L’historie du Soldat,” known in English as “The Soldier’s Tale,” is the Faustian story of a soldier who sells his fiddle to the devil in exchange for riches.

In The Figueroa Project production, Giannini is the Soldier, Moncada is the Devil and Courtney Giannini is the Princess.

The narrator is Toby Appel, a renown violist, violinist and teacher who has narrated “L’histoire du Soldat” and other works.

“Stravinsky is a bear to choreograph. The music is very complex,” Wells said. “His meters change constantly. There can be a melodic line with syncopation on top of that. … You don’t want to skip over those syncopated, highlighted points of his music.”

In all, there’s less than 15 minutes of dancing, but it’s split into seven sections. One section is called “The Soldier’s March,” when he’s starting his 10-day leave before selling his soul to the Devil, Wells said. It’s reprised when he’s heading home. Another section is the “Devil’s Dance,” where he dances himself to exhaustion.

“What’s great about all of the dancers is that they’ve got the classical training, but they can also dance tango and ragtime,” which is part of a section, Wells said.

Figueroa said the project is presenting Stravinsky’s original version of the piece.

The musicians are violinist David Felberg, clarinetist James Shields, trumpeter John Marchiando, trombonist Deborah Taylor, bassoonist Stefanie Przybylska, percussionist Jeff Cornelius and bassist Aaro Heinonen.

Also on the program is Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir of Florence.” Figueroa will play one of the violin parts.

“It’s one of the great masterpieces for string sextet,” he said. “It’s 35, 40 minutes long, and as big in scope and conception as one of the symphonies.”