Friday, May 28, 2010

The Rite of Spring as summer approaches


The Rite of Spring or Consecrated Spring by Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky is not what you would call easy music to listen to. It is a complicated string of movements that blurt out dissonant sound after sweet lilting themes. In the last month I have listened to the whole piece of music 17 times according to my iTunes counter. I have found it maddening and enlightening all at once. I spend my walk on Madison listening to music and here I found a bizarrely personal connection. The Classic 1979 Woody Allen film Manhattan opens to Gershwin playing Rhapsody in Blue over Black and White images of New York. Somewhere in the middle of the 3rd movement, I hear Gershwin. The thrum of piano keys smashing into broken waves of sound becomes peaceful…and I hear Gershwin? I realize it’s the other way around and that Gershwin’s encyclopedic musical knowledge led to the connection most likely. I am a novice and so I hear what I hear. Mash up: Stravinsky, Woody Allen and Gershwin.

The Wikipedia entry has this fantastic line about the premiere:
The premiere involved one of the most famous classical music riots in history. It links to a list of “Classical Music Riots”. Man I love when art gets this rowdy. Nijinsky’s choreographed the piece that was presented that first night in 1913. The pagan rituals that Stravinsky imagined must have been slightly rowdier than the actual riot that took place. Personally, I would have been pleased to see that kind of strong reaction!

The
New York Philharmonic has just completed a several weeklong festival devoted to Stravinsky that was capped off with Gergiev conducting
The Rite of Spring. The NY Phil has been kind enough to create videos, offer music clips and do a great deal of Stravinsky background for all that are willing to read and listen. NPR has some great programming as well. Read through it, Watch through it, and then spend some time getting to know the music. It is worthwhile journey