The Rite of Spring: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Paris, 1913.

The premiere of The Rite of Spring.

Rhythmic detonations tear through the orchestra, pushing the instruments to their limits with raw energy.The primeval world of Stravinsky’s most explosive masterpiece is reignited by the colours of period instruments under the direction of Vladimir Jurowski.The Rite erupts from history.

It has fascinated musicians and audiences alike since that night in 1913.

As its legend has grown, its truths have been obscured by myth.

To encounter its radical force anew, we step into the world that formed it with instruments from the time of the premiere.

The bassoon’s opening call emerges more primordial, more fragile; gut strings add snap and bite to the brutal, irregular rhythms; the raw snarl of valved brass instruments intensifies the danger.

The result reveals something more elemental—performance as ritual and invocation.