Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Part 1

The most famous thing about Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring is
the riot that took place at its premiere.  Perhaps its
overcompensating for classical music's reputation for being a bit
stuffy, but musicians and musicologists LOVE talking about the
riot at the Rite of Spring, and I’m no exception.  But you
might be surprised to know that the Rite Riot was by no means the
only disturbance at a classical concert. There are myriad stories
of chaos at concerts throughout musical history, but none of them
are as famous as what happened on May 29th, 1913. We'll talk
about the riot, why it happened, and its aftermath. We'll also
discuss this groundbreaking piece, which was revolutionary in
almost every way, while being more grounded in the past than you
might think. As the great writer Tom Service says, “there’s
nothing so old as a musical revolution.” Join us this week for
part 1, the Adoration of the Earth!