Graham F. Valentine Narrator

Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht (arr Steuermann)
Stravinsky The Soldier’s Tale

The 2014 Queen's Hall Series opens with the power and panache of a masterpiece of music theatre, performed by one of Scotland's foremost chamber groups, the Hebrides Ensemble.

Stravinsky combined text and music to witty and vivid effect in his Faustian The Soldier's Tale, in which a naive army recruit attempts to make amends for selling his soul while playing the fiddle. Actor Graham F. Valentine, acclaimed for his starring role in Meine faire Dame at the 2012 Festival, narrates the infectiously entertaining work.

The Hebrides players perform Schoenberg's highly Romantic, emotionally charged Verklärte Nacht in a sparkling version for piano trio by Austrian composer and pupil of Schoenberg, Edward Steuermann.

'undoubtedly Scotland's most adventurous chamber ensemble' The Scotsman, Festival 2013 'a life-affirming experience' Bachtrack