July : Stravinsky : Rite of Spring

[fergus]

In conclusion, this was not a work that I had much time for in the past but I have given it much more listening time during these intervening weeks. Coupled with the great notes in this thread and some in depth listening I must admit that I have developed an appreciation of this work that definitely was not there before.
I can see why this piece of music caused such upset at its first hearing almost one hundred years ago. How could the unsuspecting public have been ready or prepared for such sounds and indeed scenes, those energetic and provocative, pulsating rhythms and dances? The discordant harmonies must have also caused upset to those ears. The scenes evoked by the music must have seemed really brutal and almost savage to that audience’s fine musical and social sensitivities and then you had Monteux pushing the orchestral sound levels higher and higher in the face of their ire and thereby aggravating the situation even more. No wonder there was a riot!
I must say that I now do not find the dissonances very intrusive on my musical sensibilities; rather I found that they enhanced my perception of what the music was trying to achieve. It is definitely an exciting work but greater attention to it and the help afforded by this thread has definitely changed my opinion of it in terms of its sound world and achievements.

So, yet another challenge was provided for me in this series of Listening Projects and yet another success was achieved in upturning a previously held opinion on a piece of music. I am very pleased with that!

[Seán]

Interesting comments Fergus. I first encountered Le Sacre in 1977 having already purchased a copy of Stravinsky's marvellous Concerto for Jazz Orchestra. By that time I was already weaned off Hendrix and immersed in the wonderful world of Jazz especially Ellingtonia. I was hugely surprised and impressed by the new musical sound created by Stravinsky and to this day that is one of the features I find most striking about his music: it's not dated, it sounds as fresh and vibrant as the day he wrote it. I love it.

Like any piece of music one can of course buy poor recordings of Le Sacre however, there are many fine performances on CD today. This is my favourite:



There are other performances worth getting, for example, by Solti, Gergiev, Abbado, Markevitch and the second Boulez too.

[Seán]

I must say that I do like these three clips, one can see how people may have been shocked by this performance when they saw it for the first time back in 1913:

[Dane]

Nice clips, Seán.

And thanks. I've only seen it on a poor quality DVD. Performance was fine but video and sound...? Nope. (The cover gives the main dancers with "Moscow Classikal Ballet of N. Kasatkina and V. Vasilyov" at the top - don't buy it unless you're forgiving of production values!) I suppose I ought to be thinking of a more up to date DVD.

But for sure, if I want to keep my wieght down.... turn Pagan!

[fergus]

Yes indeed, thanks for the visuals Seán. I think that they serve to further illustrate just how different a visual spectacle this work must have been originally; Swan Lake or the Sleeping Beauty it is not!

[james]

Thanks for the link to the videos ... I found this about them in wikipedia ..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rite_of_Spring

"On 30 September 1987, the Joffrey Ballet in Los Angeles performed The Rite based on a reconstruction of Nijinsky's 1913 choreography, until then thought lost beyond recall. The performance resulted from years of research, primarily by Millicent Hodson, who pieced the choreography together from the original prompt books, contemporary sketches and photographs, and the recollections of Marie Rambert and other survivors.[79] Hodson's version has since been performed by the Kirov Ballet, at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2003 and later that year at Covent Garden.[80][81] The Joffrey Ballet is planning a commemorative performance in March 2013, in Austin, Texas, to mark the work's centenary.[82]"

[Dane]

It was interesting to read Fergus' response to the work, particularly as a concert piece without the dance...or have I assumed wrong? I hope not!! I suppose it's how many came upon it. Shame the Royal Ballet couldn't publish a DVD of its performance.

[fergus]

It was interesting to read Fergus' response to the work, particularly as a concert piece without the dance...or have I assumed wrong? I hope not!! I suppose it's how many came upon it. Shame the Royal Ballet couldn't publish a DVD of its performance.

You are quite correct in your assumption. I have never seen a performance until Seán published the clips above. I have always visualised the piece, as I do with all music.

[Dane]

I'm hoping that the BBC will celebbrate the centenary of The Rite's first performance next year.
A few years ago they put together a documentary - I think it was called Riot at the Rite or something
and touched on the matter of whether Stravinsky had stage-managed the riot. Well, conspiracy theorists were
bound to have their day but I haven't been able to trace more material. I hope they give a repeat. (I'm aware it's
on YouTube in LD but broken into 6 parts. Nice to see it again on the telly in HD!)

We're always hearing about this "greatest scandal of the performing arts" so I wondered if a book was ever
published giving reasonably reliable accounts of the insider details? Could there be one and my eyesight is failing?!
Does the Cambridge Companion talk about it or the (Cambridge) Music Handbook on the work?

Many thanks if anyone can help here?

:)

Thinking about it, perhaps the celebrations would merit a new topic?

[james]

the matter of whether Stravinsky had stage-managed the riot.

I think I read somewhere that some people objected more to the dancing than to the music. Also that Diagilev was delighted with the outcome [i.e. the riot and consequent publicity]. If there was a conspiracy it looks more like it was Diagilev than Stravinsky. The book I read on the Rite [Peter Hill] does not really discuss this ...

james