Today marks the hundredth anniversary of the debut of Russian composer Igor Stravinky’s ballet and orchestral work, The Rite of Spring. It was performed in Paris on May 29, 1913, with dancers of the Ballets Russes, and choreographed by the controversial Vaslav Nijinksy.
At the time of the premiere, Stravinsky was already famous for his acclaimed ballets Firebird (1909-10) and Petrushka (1910-11).
The storyline basically involves a maiden who must act as a human sacrifice in order to renew the fertility of the soil. She is doomed to dance herself to death.
There was great anticipation about the performance, especially as the subtitle promised “Pictures of Pagan Russia in Two Parts.” It didn’t go over well. Members of the audience degraded into pagans themselves. Stuff was chucked, walking canes were used to bash heads, and there was so much hissing and booing from the audience that the performers could barely hear the music.
It’s hard for us living in modern times to imagine people rioting at a classical music performance. We associate that behavior with Justin Bieber showing up late, or a mosh pit at a Metallica concert.
The polyphonic melodies and dissonant notes outraged some (not all) of the listeners. But as they were yelling so loudly, it’s hard to believe they could even hear the music. More likely, it was the flat-footed, tribal dancing that caused most of the commotion.
Right from the get-go, the piece opens with a bassoon playing way too high for its normal range:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWotpIy0uTg
Here’s a portion of the ballet, showing dancers bashing up and down to the funky syncopated drum beats.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0xNo2894Fw
Not everyone in the audience hated the performance. According to this source, one enraptured audience member so loved the syncopated beats that he drummed their rhythms on the bald head of the guy in front of him.
Five days after the premiere, Stravinsky was hospitalized with typhoid fever. He was sick for more than five weeks, so he missed out on the rest of the kerfuffle. Today The Rite of Spring is considered one of the masterpieces of the twentieth century—and yet, it continues to shock and exhilarate.