# An anniversary today



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

"It was on today's date in 1913 that Igor Stravinsky's ballet 'The Rite of Spring' premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, provoking catcalls and fisticuffs from some in the audience. Most scholars suggest it was the ungainly, deliberately primitive choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky, more than Stravinsky's score, that provoked the most negative response. 

"Pierre Monteux's concert performance-without the dancing-at the Casino de Paris the following Spring marked the start of the score's success as pure music. On that occasion, Stravinsky was carried in triumph from the hall on the shoulders of his admirers."


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Paris has certainly changed a lot over the years .


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

KenOC said:


> "It was on today's date in 1913 that Igor Stravinsky's ballet 'The Rite of Spring' premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, provoking catcalls and fisticuffs from some in the audience. Most scholars suggest it was the ungainly, deliberately primitive choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky, more than Stravinsky's score, that provoked the most negative response.


I found the following photo when I first read about this premiere (from the distance of time it gives me a chuckle because we still care deeply about our music!):


images hosting


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Schoenberg also had a Parisian premiere the preceding day, of his Piano Pieces Op. 11, which did not cause a riot. Amusingly, one critic claimed this was proof that the Parisian public would no longer riot at anything. His Pierrot lunaire had been a huge success with audiences and fellow composers (though not with conservative critics), and some claim its highly individuated chamber ensemble influenced the orchestration of Rite. However that may be, it certainly influenced the Three Japanese Songs.

Stravinsky and Schoenberg were, then as now, the outstanding composers of their day.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

It is the best known Stravinsky piece that is well known today - the Rite of Spring.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

ArtMusic said:


> It is the best known Stravinsky piece that is well known today - the Rite of Spring.


I love your humour, please never change.:lol:


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

KenOC said:


> "It was on today's date in 1913 that Igor Stravinsky's ballet 'The Rite of Spring' premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, provoking catcalls and fisticuffs from some in the audience. Most scholars suggest it was the ungainly, deliberately primitive choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky, more than Stravinsky's score, that provoked the most negative response.
> 
> "Pierre Monteux's concert performance-without the dancing-at the Casino de Paris the following Spring marked the start of the score's success as pure music. On that occasion, Stravinsky was carried in triumph from the hall on the shoulders of his admirers."


Well that's a coincidence, considering my joke post in the community section about the Rite two days ago. I'm gonna celebrate this tonight, with my stereo, copy of the score and a virgin sacrifice (as they call it) at some point!


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## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

Pugg said:


> Paris has certainly changed a lot over the years .


:lol:

From catcalls and fisticuffs over a ballet to gunshots and explosions over a heavy metal concert. Let's hope this century's fireworks aren't quite as devastating as the last one's, but we're not off to a very promising start.


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