#2: The Rite of Spring, or when Lenny met Igor
From: Jackson Braider
Series: Stravinsky@125
Length: 13:16
If ever anything deserved to be called a bolt from the blue, then surely it's The Rite of Spring. At its premiere in Paris in 1913, this ballet provoked a riot; six months later, its composer, Igor Stravinsky, was the darling of the Paris scene.
That's what happens when you create a sensation. People talk; they share stories. And over the next half century The Rite of Spring provoked many stories -- about Stravinsky and his genius, about his artistic vision, about how Stravinsky left Leonard Bernstein speechless the one and only time they met.
As part of Stravinsky at 1-2-5, a series celebrating the 125th anniversary of the composer's birth, producer Jackson Braider tells some stories from the life of The Rite of Spring, or "When Lenny met Igor."
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Piece Description
If ever anything deserved to be called a bolt from the blue, then surely it's The Rite of Spring. At its premiere in Paris in 1913, this ballet provoked a riot; six months later, its composer, Igor Stravinsky, was the darling of the Paris scene. That's what happens when you create a sensation. People talk; they share stories. And over the next half century The Rite of Spring provoked many stories -- about Stravinsky and his genius, about his artistic vision, about how Stravinsky left Leonard Bernstein speechless the one and only time they met. As part of Stravinsky at 1-2-5, a series celebrating the 125th anniversary of the composer's birth, producer Jackson Braider tells some stories from the life of The Rite of Spring, or "When Lenny met Igor."
2 Comments
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Review of #2: The Rite of Spring, or when Lenny met IgorThis an amusing background piece with gossipy little stories from those who knew and interacted with this amazing composer. The sometimes confusing and conflicting stories are about the ballet impresario Diaghilev's reaction when he first hears Igor's Rite of Spring, just before going into production; and about Leonard Berstein and the composer's reaction after a production Bernstein had conducted. The selections from The Rite are tasty enough to whet your apetite to hear the whole performance. It would be great promo or intro piece for a full program of Stravinsky. |
Transcript
When Lenny met Igor: The Rite of Spring
It doesn't take one second into Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Le Sacre de Printemps to realize the man was onto something completely different:
(Sacre: opening)
10:46 The bassoonist in the Rite of Spring said I can't play this ? it'll be pinched and out of tune, and cracked and Stravinsky said I know. That's exactly what I want. Don't worry about it.
That's John Heiss, a professor of composition and music theory at New England Conservatory in Boston. Speak to him of Stravinsky's instrumental imagination, and he'll tell you ...
John Heiss:
(Stravinsky's instrumental imagination) 9:22 He sure did. It's endless. He said I knew the instruments initimately, and I knew how they worked and what to do with them even before I knew what to say as a composer, I knew the instruments. He said when you grow up in Russia with Rims...
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Rite of Spring | Igor Stravinsky | Ballets, Vol. 1. | Sony/BMG | 1991 | 07:00 |
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Emon Hassan
Posted on July 01, 2007 at 03:39 PM | Permalink
Review of #2: The Rite of Spring, or when Lenny met Igor
Listen to the The Rite of Spring and tell me it's not the first heavy metal piece ever composed. You could disagree with me but I'd still win. Tell me the riot caused by the first performance didn't inspire future mosh pits.
This piece has stories related to Stravinsky's composing this piece and, of the latter years, stories inspired from the meeting of Leonard Bernstein and Stravinsky. I wouldn't mind believing them to be true, even if they didn't turn out to be. I do mind reviewers doing the accent in the piece, but it makes the stories even more outrageous. It's preferred that way. How much will you enjoy this piece? Right till the end, my dear.