Stravinsky Funeral Song: US Premiere and More Announced

Following its rediscovery last year and performance in St. Petersburg in December, Stravinsky's Funeral Song receives premieres in 15 countries around the world, programmed by leading orchestras and conductors.

Orchestras have swiftly added Igor Stravinsky's rediscovered Funeral Song into their current seasons, adjusting their programs to allow the work to be heard as soon as possible. Following the historic performance at the Mariinsky Theatre on December 2, conducted by Valery Gergiev, the 12-minute orchestral score will receive over 25 performances in 2017 and beyond, traveling to 15 countries, as listed below. Dates include the UK premiere with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen (February 19, 2017), the US premiere with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit (April 6) and the German premiere with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle (May 31).

The music of Funeral Song, composed by the young composer as an orchestral memorial tribute to his teacher Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, disappeared after its only performance in 1909, returning to light last year in the library of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory. The rediscovery has aroused immense interest around the musical world, offering a view on the young composer between his early works and his ballet The Firebird, which launched his international career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.

The St. Petersburg performance on December 2 is filmed for television and streamed live by Medici.tv and Mezzo. A video introduction to Funeral Song is presented on the Mariinsky TV channel by Dr. Natalia Braginskaya, whose musicological detective work led to the rediscovery of the orchestral parts for the work. The score of Funeral Song, reconstructed from the complete set of parts by Dr. Braginskaya and the St. Petersburg Conservatory, will be published in early 2017 by Boosey & Hawkes, Stravinsky's principal publisher.

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