Day 28: Stravinsky, Rite of Spring

Day 28: Stravinsky, Rite of Spring

Picture to follow!

Ah, now, this is more like it!! Reminds me of my university days, and the music lectures! Such a lot of the stuff we listened to was from the early twentieth century, that this almost typical! I think one of the things that stands out for me is the use of the woodwind section, which is much more prominent than in earlier music. Apparently, Stravinsky takes these wind instruments to the extremes of their registers in order to achieve the sound he wants.

The word cacophony keeps coming to mind, but I think what I actually mean is dissonance! This is quite a feature of this piece, and others of the time. Rite of Spring (aka Le Sacre du Printemps) was written to accompany a ballet that was choreographed by Nijinsky and produced by Diaghilev – quite a roll call of names, there. I must admit I’ve never seen the ballet and always think of it as a standalone piece. Great fun!

This recording was made by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Monteux.

Day 1: Turangalila

Day 1: Friday 20 April 2012

Today's choice of music was governed by a recent purchase in Blackcat Records in Taunton. Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony was something I studied at school for 'A' level music, but I don't think I've listened to it since then, so it was a real treat to find this in the shop.

The symphony was written between 1946 and 1948 for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and was first performed on 2 December 1949. Being a "modern" symphony, rather than the traditional 4 movements, it is in 10 movements, and has a substantial part for piano.

There are many recurring themes in the piece, some of which sound like birdsong, and include the statue theme, the flower theme, the love theme etc.. As with many pieces of the era, much use is made of what were then unusual percussion instruments, in particular the ondes martenot.

This is a stunning piece of music which can really lift the spirits!