The Rite of Spring – A Sunday Season Premiere

The 92^nd Season opens with Stravinsky’s iconic work with its aggressive rhythms of ritualistic chanting and foot-stamping, percussively beaten out.

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Episode 20: Aha! With Alastair – The Rite of Spring

September 5, 2024

Program

POULENC
Suite from Les Biches
I. Rondeau
II. Adagietto
III. Rag-Mazurka
IV. Andantino
V. Finale

CARLOS SIMON
Four Black American Dances
I. Ring Shout
II. Waltz
III. Tap!
IV. Holy Dance

Intermission

STRAVINSKY
The Rite of Spring
Part I: L’Adoration de la Terre (Adoration of the Earth)
I. Introduction
II. Les Augures printaniers (Augurs of Spring)
III. Jeu du rapt (Ritual of Abduction)
IV. Rondes printanières (Spring Rounds)
V. Jeux des cités rivales (Ritual of the Rival Tribes)
VI. Cortège du sage: Le Sage (Procession of the Sage: The Sage)
VII. Danse de la terre (Dance of the Earth)
Part II: Le Sacrifice (The Sacrifice)
I. Introduction
II. Cercles mystérieux des adolescentes (Mystic Circles of the Young Girls)
III. Glorification de l’élue (Glorification of the Chosen One)
IV. Évocation des ancêtres (Evocation of the Ancestors)
V. Action rituelle des ancêtres (Ritual Action of the Ancestors)
VI. Danse sacrale (L’Élue) (Sacrificial Dance)

Program Notes

Suite from Les Biches

FRANCIS POULENC
Born: January 7, 1899
Died: January 30, 1963
Composed: Ballet 1923, Suite 1948
Premiered: January 6,1924, Salle Garnier, Monte-Carlo
Duration: 20 minutes

Les Biches – literally “The Does” (female deer), but more often translated as “The Sweethearts” or “The Darlings” – is a ballet composed in 1923 by Francis Poulenc for Serge Diaghilev’s renowned Ballets Russes, the same company that premiered Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring a decade earlier. This ballet was unique in that it lacked an overarching narrative, with the composer himself describing it as an “atmospheric ballet.” Instead, the work presented a collection of scenes that depicted young people socializing at a party and the situations and dynamics that unfold between them.
Inspired by Poulenc’s own carefree and lustful youth, the ballet features six main characters: the Hostess, three male Athletes, the Garçonne/Girl in Blue, and the Girls in Grey. Notably, Les Biches is an early example of LGBTQ representation in the arts. The Girl in Blue’s gender is intentionally androgynous, and the Girls in Grey were conceived as a lesbian couple. Poulenc’s choice to include these characters reflects his progressive views and willingness to explore themes of gender fluidity and same-sex relationships at a time when such topics were rarely addressed in the arts.
The suite was compiled by the composer and dedicated to Misia Sert, a significant patron of the arts, The Ballet Russe, and Poulenc himself during the 1920s. The music is playful and indicative of his carefree style. This contrasts with other French composers from the time such as Ravel and Debussy, who prided themselves on the serious and introspective tone of their works. As you listen, pay attention to the playful and whimsical elements that make this suite a delightful and entertaining piece, showcasing Poulenc’s flair for blending humor and charm in his compositions.

Four Black American Dances

CARLOS SIMON
Born: 1986, Washington D.C., USA
Premiered: 2023 Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston, USA
Duration: 15 minutes

Dance has always been a part of any culture. Particularly in Black American communities, dance is and has been the fabric of social gatherings. There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands of dances created over the span of American history that have originated from the social climate of American slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow. This piece is an orchestral study of the music that is associated with the Ring Shout, the Waltz, Tap Dance and the Holy Dance. All of these dances are but a mere representation of the wide range of cultural and social differences within the Black American communities. – Carlos Simon, 2024

The Rite of Spring

IGOR STRAVINSKY
Born: June 17, 1882, Oranienbaum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Died: April 6, 1971, New York, United States
Composed: Begun mid-1911, Completed March-April 1913 (Stravinsky continued to revise the work over the next 30 years after the initial premiere)
Premiered: May 29,1913, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris, France
Duration: 40 minutes

“At the performance, mild protests against the music could be heard from the beginning. Then when the curtain opened … the storm broke … I was unprepared for the explosion … I left the hall in a rage … I have never again been that angry.” — Unknown attendee at the premiere of the ballet.

Few works in the history of music have been as significant or stirred as much controversy as Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Renowned for its ingenuity and striking originality, this work endures as a beloved piece among listeners and is one of the most frequently performed and recorded works in the entire classical repertoire.
Stravinsky recounted in his 1935 biography that a “fleeting vision” of a pagan ritual, where a chosen one dances themselves to death in a sacrificial rite for good harvest, as the inspiration for this work. Stravinsky later revised this story, claiming the music came to him spontaneously. Despite this, the narrative of a pagan sacrificial rite has persisted with many interpreting the work as a depiction of a Russian rite, given Stravinsky’s background and the involvement of the Ballets Russes. The opening melody, rooted in Lithuanian folk music, further underscores the work’s connection to ancient, mystical folk traditions, enhancing its cultural resonance
The Rite of Spring is historically notorious for the riot that occurred at its premiere in Paris which resulted in at least 40 people being arrested at the theater. Accounts of this event vary widely, making it difficult to determine precisely what led to the audience’s violent reaction. Some historians suggest that the unseasonably hot and humid weather played a role. At the same time, others argue that the music was well received, but the choreography was deemed too risqué. Regardless of the specifics, this chaotic premiere has become inseparable from the work’s legacy, cementing its place in the annals of music history.
The opening section of this work is one of the most iconic moments. It begins with a solo bassoon playing an eerie yet intriguing folk melody in an uncomfortably high register for the instrument. Other instruments gradually join this melody, building into a mystifying crescendo that utilizes nearly the entire orchestra. Though it borders on cacophony at times, this section is a masterful display of Stravinsky’s profound understanding of the orchestra as a medium for expression, as it never feels out of control.
Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring continues to captivate audiences with its boldness and ingenuity. Despite the initial uproar, today, it is celebrated as a groundbreaking masterpiece that forever changed the landscape of all music that followed it.

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