Stravinsky From the rite of spring
It is likely that no other work has had the same crucial significance for the music of our time as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.
About the video
- Published online 29 August 2023.
- The video is approximately 6 minutes.
- A musical excerpt from the series Mankind and Music, episode 1.
The premiere performance of the ballet The Rite of Spring, with music by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, was a magnificent scandal. The piece was choreographed by star dancer Vaslav Nijinsky and the event took place on 29 May 1913, at the freshly opened Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Early in the performance at the world premiere, the audience began to boo and chaos soon broke out. Whether it was Stravinsky’s music or Nijinsky’s choreography that disturbed the audience most is unclear.
Stravinsky had a dream – a fantasy in which he saw a young girl dance herself to death, surrounded by sage men seated in a circle around her. He aimed to depict this hedonistic rite to appease the god of spring in his ballet music. The Rite of Spring has two parts: The Adoration of the Earth and The Sacrifice. We hear music from the first part.
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This excerpt of music is from episode 1 of the series Mankind and Music. The five episodes are available to watch here on Konserthuset Play. Why does music exist? What happens to us when we make or listen to music? In this series, we explore answers to these questions together with musicians, listeners and researchers.
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The music
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Igor Stravinsky Introduction, Dance of the Abduction and Spring Rounds from Part I: Adoration of the Earth from The Rite of Spring
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Participants
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Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
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Tobias Ringborg conductor
