Stravinsky Birth Anniversary

Kazushi Ono leads the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of La Monnaie in a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s opera The Rake’s Progress. Among the soloists are Laura Claycomb, Andrew Kennedy, William Shimell, Julianne Young, and Dagmar Peckova. This performance was recorded at Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels, Belgium, in 2007. Igor Stravinsky composed this masterpiece in the period 1947-1951. Its libretto, by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, was inspired by a series of moralistic canvases by English 18th-century artist William Hogarth depicting the decline and fall of a spendthrift, Tom Rakewell. The Rake’s Progress, which premiered in Venice in 1951, is the final work of the composer’s neoclassical period, drawing from 18th-century opera.

The series 'Discovering Masterpieces’ brings you 20 half-hour documentaries on 20 classical masterpieces: acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors take you on a journey back to the time and place of composition. This episode presents Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (‘The Rite of Spring’). Almost no musical work has had such a powerful influence or evoked as much controversy as Stravinsky's ballet score ‘The Rite of Spring’. The work's premiere on May 29, 1913, at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, was scandalous. The renowned English pianist and musicologist Peter Hill explains why and opens the door to Stravinsky’s energetic music. The musical excerpts in this episode are performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Bernard Haitink.

Mariss Jansons conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements (1942-1945). Although the composer insisted the piece was 'absolute music', he later admitted that it was influenced by newsreel images of the Second World War he saw. The symphony’s first movement was originally intended as a concerto for orchestra, with an important role for the piano. In the second movement, in which the harp plays a prominent role, Stravinsky used music he wrote for the 1943 drama film ‘The Song of Bernadette’, based on Franz Werfel's novel. The piano and harp are united in the symphony’s final movement. This performance was recorded at the Philharmonie am Gasteig in Munich, Germany, in 2018.

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird. After several prominent Russian composers declined impresario Sergei Diaghilev’s commission to compose a ballet for his itinerant ballet company Ballets Russes, Diaghilev hired the young and unknown Stravinsky to write the ballet’s score. The Firebird tells the story of Prince Ivan, who befriends the mythical Firebird and later calls on him in the battle against the evil magician Kaschei. The work saw its first performance in Paris on June 25, 1910 and was the composer's big breakthrough. Moreover, it was the beginning of a fruitful partnership between Stravinsky and Diaghilev. This performance was recorded at the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest as part of Europakonzert 2005.

Uwe Scholz, one of the most important choreographers of the 20th century, created two interpretations of Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps for the Leipzig Ballet. Sacre I, for one dancer, can be interpreted as a bleak and oppressive dance about Scholz’ own life. This unique solo is performed by Giovanni Di Palma to the four-handed piano version. The powerful Sacre II is staged for nearly 60 dancers, here accompanied by the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Kiyoko Kimura, one of Uwe Scholz’ muses, is the featured dancer. The full ballet was filmed as part of a portrait of Scholz in February 2003. By popular demand, this unique showcase of Uwe Scholz’ exceptional talent is now, at last, available for public viewing.

Maestro Bernard Haitink leads the Berliner Philharmoniker in a performance of Igor Stravinsky's Le sacre du printemps (‘The Rite of Spring’). Stravinksy composed the ballet’s score in 1913 for Sergei Diaghilev's itinerant ballet company Ballets Russes. The work’s sensational première at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris caused a riot in the audience in response to the avant-garde nature of the music and choreography. The score, written for one of Stravinsky’s largest orchestras, features harsh dissonances and complex rhythms. Despite its scandalous premiere, the work gained great critical acclaim. Le sacre du printemps is now considered one of the great masterpieces in classical music history, which influenced many 20th-century composers. This performance was recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, as part of Europakonzert 1993.

Fabio Luisi conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the Danish National Concert Choir in a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms (W60). Stravinsky was commissioned to write this symphony to celebrate the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 50th anniversary in 1930. For some time, Stravinsky had had the idea in mind to compose a work that would include psalms in an orchestral context. Stravinsky included verses from Psalms 38, 39, and 150 from the Vulgate bible in Latin in his work, which was written for mixed chorus and orchestra. The three movements of the symphony are performed without break. Remarkable is the work’s unique orchestration, which leaves out violins, violas, and clarinets, as Stravinsky wanted to avoid a Romantic orchestral sound. This performance was recorded at DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2011.

Tero Saarinen’s signature solo HUNT is one of the most celebrated contemporary interpretations of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, praised by audiences and critics alike. An exciting new screen version based on Saarinen’s final performances of the work offers one more chance to experience this ground-breaking work on television. Commissioned by the Venice Biennale in 2002, HUNT is a collaboration of choreographer-dancer Tero Saarinen and multimedia artist Marita Liulia. Saarinen toured with the work until the Rite's centennial in 2013. Finland's national public service broadcasting company YLE recorded the choreographer's last performances in his home city, Helsinki, at the main stage of the Finnish National Theatre in May 2013. Featuring material shot on stage and in the YLE studios, this exciting new screen version of HUNT gives audiences the possibility to experience this ground-breaking work once more - and for the first time ever on the silver screen.