Any Stravinsky fans?
 

I adore the music from his Russian period, particularly the Rite of Spring and the Firebird. Some of his neoclassical pieces like the Symphony of Psalms are very interesting as well. A brilliant and revolutionary composer, to be sure.

This music changed the face of classical ballet.

The story of the ballet is almost a cross between the "Lord of the Flies" and the most recent ABC program called "Lost".

The Rite of Spring depicted "scenes of Pagan Russia", where there are primitive dancers that often turn violent and sexually sadistic, and create vulgar tactics like play rapes and seductions. The ballet also involves clashes of tribes, and round dances.

The climax of the story involves a young lady condemned to be sacrificed by dancing herself nonstop until she dies in
front of a circle of elders (called the "sacrificial dance", or, just a little specifically, the "sacrificial dance of the chosen one").
But the death at the end is not what made the ballet very radical. The most radical part was the beginning.

The opening of the ballet, as soon as the curtain went up in its premiere, was akin to the wardrobe malfunction in one Super Bowl halftime show---because the overture of the ballet showed primitive teenagers dancing in near-nude garb,
which was so vulgar to a Parisian audience seeing the premiere, that they exploded in anger and screamed and even threw objects at the ballet dancers and even at the orchestra, sometimes drowning out the harsh music that permeates the ballet.

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igor Stravinsky

well said. No need to elaborate.

holla!

You don't know who Igor Stravinsky is?

Anyways, I really enjoy Rite of Spring. Also Symphony of Psalms, which I think is one of his more imaginative works. Both are excellent. I've never listened to Firebird in it's entirety so I don't have a well formed opinion on it.

The Rite of Spring is a crazy piece. Patrushka (sp) should get an honorable mention - also quite a work.

His some rhythems are absolutely insane to play. Probably most of what makes his stuff so cool to me.

not the best rendition but the ultimate visual accompaniment - you can forget the contemporary dance

The Fantasia treatment of the Rite of Spring was just fantastic. I love the dinosaur parts towards the end, particularly the extinction segment.

Some might be interested in knowing that after Stravinsky visited the Republic of Georgia and heard their unique traditional music, he proclaimed it the finest he'd ever heard and borrowed from it in later works. I learned this in my own study of Georgian music after it had captured my own heart and soul.

Those familiar with Stravinsky might enjoy comparing Georgian traditional music with some of his later works.

rebecca

'In Le Sacre du Printemps Stravinsky stripped folk themes to their most basic melodic outlines, and often contorted them beyond recognition with added notes, and other techniques including inversion and diminution.'

Your post reminded me of the folk connection melonkali, but then i remembered it was Bela Bartok who was the folk music scholar; i love trad. arrangements from that part of the world & eastern europe, but it's for another thread perhaps

Stravinsky
 

FIREBIRD is the bizz!

Yep, most days when I get up and don't have much to do the 1st thing I'll put on when I sit down will be Rite of Spring. Great way to wake up. :)

I like Firebird as well, but have only listened to it a couple times... so not nearly as much.

Another one of my favorites, for sure. He's also one of the Russian 5, if I'm not mistaken.

I have the Firebird Suite in my ipod its ok, prefer The Rite of Spring and Petrushka

PartisanRanger I advise you to listen Rachmaninoff, prelude C#m.

I love the Firebird Suite. The prog-rock band Yes used to open concerts with it (and I suppose there is some incarnation of the band existing that still does), which blended really nicely into Siberian Khatru.

Stravinsky was a badass. Rite of Spring and Firebird Suite are incredible

I love how the Classical forum is so peaceful. My father would have harsh words for Stravinsky, but fuck that.

Stravinsky is probably the most exciting 20th century composer (among many great ones, dad) of all of them.

Yes, I totally agree!

Big Fan here, and no he wasn't of the russian 5. Orpheus, Soldier's Tale, Song of the Nightgale, Les Noces, Danses Concertantes, Ebony Concerto and Petrushka are great pieces.

Indeed.

Huge fan - Le roi des étoiles is my favorite!

Rites of Spring is probably my favorite from Stravinsky.

I've heard Firebird and Rite of Spring. Rite of Spring is truly amazing at least from beginning to end there is a definitive gradual transition from tranquility into chaos. I haven't heard any of his post-Rite of Spring works, but of what I've heard, I'm majorly a fan of.

I just went to a live orchestra on Friday and they played Suite from The Firebird. It literally blew me away! I had heard limited classical music before now but have been trying to get into it- so after the show I bought Stravinsky: The Great Ballets. The Rite of Spring was ridiculous, I loved it so much. the rhythmic composition was the most amazing I've ever heard. and since hearing it i've been listening to a good amount to classical every day

I attended the Houston Symphony Orchestra's rendition of this once. It was excellent. I'd love to attend an entire performance of The Firebird.

To see the entire thing with the actual ballet performance would be so amazing. The Firebird or the Rite of Spring. But does anyone even do that? like ever?

Last major performance was 2008, I think.

It's a life goal of mine to see The Rite of Spring live, if just the music, then so be it. I've legitimately sought out more than five different recordings of it just to hear different intricacies of it each time.

So many other great Stravinsky compositions exist beyond it too, which is just a testament to how great a body of work the man has left behind.

My favourites are Les Noces, Symphony of Wind Instruments, Symphony of Psalms, Ebony Concerto, and Agon.

Listening to Les Noces for the first time. Good stuff. I ****ing love bizarre choir.

Only familiar with Rite of Spring, but it's definitely an amazing work. Very base and pagan-esque, I like it.

I like Stravinsky less than Bartok, Ives, and Schoenberg. For some reason, Stravinsky is near the bottom of all the 20th C composers I respect a lot. But still, like I said, I have a lot of respect for him.

getting The Rite of Spring soon - the jury's still out

I like Stravinsky less than Bartok, too. However, I really really like Les Noces, and like Rite of Spring.

is there anyone who likes the violin concert of him?

Igor Stravinsky is the ****ing BOOMMBB!! <3 The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's recording of The Firebird Suite is one of my all-time favorites. The Russian stuff is the best. Because I'm a metalhead, the extreme intensity of Russian orchestral music is perfect for me.

Listening to Firebird now. That and The Rite of Spring are gorgeous. Haven't attentively listened to anything else ... but definitely will. It took me a very long time to start appreciating his music.

In fact, Stravinsky had a house above the river in my home town in W. Ukraine (that he occasionally used in 1890-1914). I like to think that he composed The Rite of Spring contemplating ice breaking on the river at early spring :) There's been a museum and music school there, now closed as they are restoring it to its original shape.

Now ya'll got me wanting to watch Fantasia and Fantasia 2000. Memorieeeessss.....

I absolutely fecking love The Rite of Spring, I have a hard time thinking of it as *gorgeous*, tho. Terrifying is an adjective I use for it...




Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps / The Rite of Spring - YouTube