Stravinsky – Rite of Spring

[ March 11th, 2009 | No Comments » | by Jason Andrews ]

The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky is by far one of my favorite. It’s a piece that breaks the traditional classical ballet and has defined contemporary music. It is one of his many ballets that was first preformed in 1913. It is a fantasy version of a pagan Russian pagan ritual. Stravinsky was quoted depicting the piece as “…the wise elders are seated in a circle and are observing the dance before death of the girl whom they are offering as a sacrifice to the god of Spring in order to gain his benevolence.”

Many people have probably first heard of the Right of Spring through Disney’s Fantasia that was premiered in 1940. It is the first piece played int he film. However due to international copyright laws Stravinsky had no say during the making of Fantasia and he was quoted saying that it was “involved a dangerous misunderstanding.” Many other composers have directly quoted the Rite of Spring including John Williams in some Star Wars pieces and John Adams in his Chairman Dances.

Most of Igor Stravinsky’s melodies come from folk tunes. The melody is unique for it has an emphasis on dissonance. The rhythm is very strong and is often thought of as almost barbaric to some. The melodies are excessively complex with a nearly violent dance. All in all, it’s a fantastic piece that even non classical lovers will love.

Tagged under: ballet, orchestra, rite of spring, stravinsky