The Comedians, Op. 26

The Comedians, Op. 26, incidental music composed by Dmitry Kabalevsky in 1938 to accompany a stage play called Inventor and Comedian at the Central Children’s Theatre of Moscow. The play, centred on a group of traveling entertainers, is seldom seen today, but the lighthearted and energetic songs, dances, and interludes composed for it continue to be performed in the form of an orchestral suite arranged by Kabalevsky in 1940.

The 10 selections that make up the suite are the “Prologue,” “Galop,” “March,” “Waltz,” “Pantomime,” “Intermezzo,” “Little Lyrical Scene,” “Gavotte,” “Scherzo,” and “Epilogue.” Most feature Kabalevsky’s inventive use of percussion and his preference for quick, lively rhythms. A wry sense of humour is also evident. “March” is alternately sombre and tipsy, and the “Waltz” comes complete with a rhythmic “oom-pah” brass line. At times, echoes of Felix Mendelssohn appear, particularly in the “Intermezzo” and “Scherzo,” which are reminiscent of their counterparts in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The suite concludes with the jovial “Epilogue,” which resurrects the theme of the first movement.