Kar-Ming Chong asked:

>Are we suppose to know what the composer's intention are in works like
>"A Soldier's Tale" (Stravinsky) or "L'Enfant" (Ravel), i.e., to intepret
>the works in a similar story line as the composer?
>
>Furthermore, can we or should we guess what the works are all about
>without knowing initially what the composers intended?

In the case of works of this kind, which have a strong narrative or
non-musical element, I think it is best to take the composer's intention or
motivation as a starting point.  Very often, this is the only way the music
will make sense - on blind listening, without any background knowledge, you
won't know why certain passages are as they are or how they fit into the
whole.  Once you've listened to the work in the light of the composer's
own intentions, then you should of course be receptive to all the other
possibilities implied by the work itself, even if the composer didn't
consciously build them in.

Felix Delbruck
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