Audio Samples
Stravinsky, Igor : Le sacre du printempsStravinsky, Igor : L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra no 2Album Summary
Stravinsky, Igor : Le sacre du printempsStravinsky, Igor : L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra no 2'The Rite of Spring,' a raucous ballet from 1913, is one of the great works of the century. Not surprisingly, this score was a favorite of Bernstein's and in this edition of the "Bernstein Century" series it receives one of its most memorable recordings.
Discordant, angular but utterly accessible (since the work has a rich plethora of Russian folk melodies), this ballet--an allegory of spring involving an ancient pagan ritual of human sacrifice--opens on a high and mysterious bassoon line. Within minutes we are plunged into an exotic and violent world punctuated by pounding tympani and a repetitive pattern from the string section. While never failing to keep modern listeners enthralled, the premier performance enraged the Parisian audience, resulting in shouted abuse and a run for the exits!
The other work on this CD is the 1919 suite version of another of Stravinsky's ballets, 'The Firebird,' from 1910. Though this work is certainly more traditional than 'The Rite of Spring' it has its radical elements as well: the undulating string section that opens the work, its oddly-placed accents and, most of all, its impressionistic harmonies which Debussy, who attended the premiere of the full ballet, greatly admired.
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Works Details
Stravinsky, Igor : Le sacre du printemps - Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
- Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
- Running Time: 3 min. 27 sec.
- Period Time: Modern
- Form: Ballet
- Written: 1911-1913
- Studio/Live: Studio
Stravinsky, Igor : L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra no 2 - Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
- Ensemble: New York Philharmonic
- Running Time: 1 min. 36 sec.
- Period Time: Modern
- Written: 1919
