London Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Pierre Boulez
Excerpts from Evocation des Ancetres, final section
Ranking among the most controversial works of the 20th century, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring ballet suite premiered in Paris in 1913, provoked such an explosion of disapproval, causing a riot in the audience. The vision of pagan ritual-- a young girl dancing herself to death-- resulted in a score filled with mountains of dissonance, and the brutality and strength expressed were unheard of.
Stravinsky's use of polytonality, or the simultaneous presentation of several keys unrelated to each other, resulted in a searing, extremely dissonant, harsh sound. Rhythm is the most significant element in the Rite of Spring, it shifts constantly--2/16, 3/16, 5/8-- and provides the music its elemental strength, bordering on the mechanical! Notice his use of ostinato, it has a peculiarly motoric (yes, like the chugging of a locomotive) and at the same time, soulless effect.
The instrumentation is an extraordinarily novel phenomenon, a famous topic of discussion among musicologists. Melody and harmony are left standing, with rhythm taking centre stage.
The music is scored for an unusually large orchestra, including rarely scored instruments in orchestral music as E♭ clarinet and Wagner tuba. Manipulating the upper and shrill registers of the wind instruments gives the music its strident, almost astringent quality.
The original Nijinksy choreography was equally controversial, a radical departure from classical ballet, with scenes depicting pagan Russia.
Here's a video from 1970, a Maurice Béjart choreography, with the Orchestre National de Belgique.
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