Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947 version)
Alexander Lazarev, conductor

Alexander Lazarev, one of Russia’s foremost conductors, leads the SOI in the suite from Stravinsky’s ballet Petrushka. The primitive nature of Stravinsky’s music captures the essence of the characters in the story—which dates from 16th-Century Commedia dell’arte—who represent human emotions in their most raw form: Petrushka, who yearns for love; the Ballerina, the unattainable symbol of beauty; and the Moor, ill-mannered and symbolizing the base aspects of humanity.