Stravinsky: Rite of Spring, Firebird Suite, Scherzo a la Russe

The concept for The Rite of Spring originated with the Russian philosopher and painter Nicholas Roerich. Roerich shared his idea with Stravinsky in 1910 a fleeting vision of a pagan ritual in which a young girl dances herself to death. The duo joined forces with Sergei Diaghilev s Ballets Russes and Stravinsky s composition began to take shape. Vaslav Nijinsky, the company s leading male dancer, conceived of a completely original dance style that was a radical departure from ballet of the time. The Rite of Spring s 1913 première created one of the most famous classical music riots in history. Its intensely rhythmic score, primitive scenery and radical choreography completely shocked the audience, who were accustomed to the elegant conventions of classical ballet. Almost 100 years later, The Rite of Spring still has the ability to shock it still sounds fresh, pagan and new. On this Super Audio recording, Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra offer a powerful and intense performance that reveals the underlying simplicity that forms the foundation of the work.