Shocking in both its sound and its subject matter, Stravinksy’s Rite of Spring changed the course of classical music when it was first performed in 1913 – avant-garde, dissonant and thunderously loud, all the better to tell its dark story of pagan ritual and human sacrifice.
The audience, hearing this new sound and watching the dark horrors unfold in the new Ballets Russes piece by Nijinsky, were scandalised. The patrons attacked one another, before attacking the orchestra, who continued to play.
Familiar to audiences across the globe today, the Rite has inspired artists including Martha Graham, Pina Bausch and John Williams.
110 years since its scandalous premiere, The Rite of Spring will have another first in summer 2023 – for the first time anywhere in the world, Aurora Orchestra will perform the masterpiece entirely from memory.
In the first half of this landmark project, Aurora presents a new dramatic and musical exploration of Stravinsky’s masterpiece, exploring the background to its creation and bringing audiences under the skin of the music. Musicians performing from memory are able to show the inner workings of the music as they move and re-group, taking musical ideas apart and building them back up to show how they are constructed. Every bar represents an opportunity to reveal the composer’s genius.
Incorporating projections, theatrical lighting, movement, and design, Aurora’s unique introduction features actors Charlotte Ritchie (Ghosts) and Karl Queensborough (currently playing Hamilton in London’s West End) voicing the words of Stravinsky and other creative partners who played a key role in the Rite’s creation.
This introduction sets the scene for a world-first second-half performance of the work entirely by heart. Building on a decade pioneering memorised performance as the first orchestra in history to present symphonic music in this way, the combination of this direct, thrillingly communicative approach with Stravinsky’s music promises to be one of the most electrifying events in this or any other season.
