Topmusicanswers
The concept behind The Rite of Spring, developed by Roerich from Stravinsky's outline idea, is suggested by its subtitle, "Pictures of Pagan Russia in Two Parts"; the scenario depicts various primitive rituals celebrating the advent of spring, after which a young girl is chosen as a sacrificial victim and dances ...
- What was the significance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring?
- Why was the rite of spring so controversial?
- Is the rite of spring Impressionism?
- What is the musical characteristics of the Rite of Spring?
What was the significance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring?
In The Rite of Spring Stravinsky produced one of the most explosive orchestral scores of the 20th century, and the production created an uproar in the Paris theatre at its first performance.
Why was the rite of spring so controversial?
At the premiere of the ballet in 1913, a riot began amongst members of the audience. Historians believe that it was the choreography created by dancer Vaclav Nijinsky that provoked the majority of controversy rather than Stravinsky's score. You can watch a clip from the ballet below.
Is the rite of spring Impressionism?
First performed in 1894, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun by Claude Debussy is an example of Impressionism. Like the Rite of Spring it too is a ballet and introduced a new freedom in form and harmonic color. The prelude is a setting of a Stéphane Mallarmé poem and attempts to inhabit its mood and imaginative imagery.
What is the musical characteristics of the Rite of Spring?
The ballet, created for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and danced by Nijinsky, did incorporate breathtakingly new musical elements: complex polytonalities that give rise to intentional dissonances, densely overlapping polyrhythms, and foregrounded percussion.
