Igor Stravinsky: L'Histoire du soldat (Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov, Harmonia Mundi)

Instrumentation: clarinet, bassoon, cornet, trombone, violin, double bass and percussion. Written in 1918 as a small touring theatre piece, L'Histoire du soldat pairs a high and a low instrument from each family, like a miniature street band. Isabelle Faust's violin leads a sharp, witty account of its tango, waltz and ragtime, and the album's companion pieces bring in Alexander Melnikov's piano. Choose it for Stravinsky at his most caustic.