L’Histoire du Soldat and Renard

L’Histoire de Soldat (A Soldier’s Tale) was first performed during WWI in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1918 and was written for a small ensemble to compensate for a lack of players due to so many being enlisted in the armed forces at that time. This parable tells the story of a deserting soldier who exchanges his fiddle with the devil for a book that predicts the future of the economy.

Largely a dance piece, Renard: Tale of the Vixen and the Cock is a one-act barnyard burlesque fairy tale based on Russian folktales. In this Russian folktale-based circus spectacle, Renard the Fox tricks several other barnyard animals, but pays a severe price for his antics. Renard the Fox deceives the Cock, the Cat, and the Goat, but eventually, is caught and executed by the other animals, and a celebration ensues, with much dancing and singing.