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The Rite of Spring
Topic Started: Jul 17 2010, 02:14 PM (221 Views)
George K
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Finally
Years and years ago, when I was in college, I would go to our local "superstore" - it was the equivalent of a K-Mart, I guess - every Sunday. I would allocate $3 of my weekly budget to buy an album. I would go and flip through the classical section, and end up buying whatever struck my fancy. I didn't know one conductor from another, but I was determined to expand my horizons. I ended up buying a ton of albums (most of which I still have, by the way) and I bought a ton of music that was, at the time, unfamiliar to me.

One Sunday, I saw an album of "The Rite of Spring." Well, "Firebird" was pleasant enough...what could possibly go wrong?

Heh.

I remember putting the LP on my turntable and listening to this music. Holy Crap! It was horrible! I really, really didn't like it. Not one bit.

But, I knew it was good, though I didn't like it.

Of course, it has become one of my favorite pieces of music. So, Googling around today, I came across this: The Joffrey Ballet "Rite of Spring" from 1987. This, from what I understand, is the original choreography by Nijinsky.

It's awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF1OQkHybEQ



A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Beacon Chris
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Junior Carp
I just watched the first part with the kids. Timeless.
How you durrin?
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George K
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Finally
Beacon Chris
Jul 17 2010, 04:13 PM
I just watched the first part with the kids. Timeless.
When I first heard it, the music was about 55 years old. It sounded revolutionary and dissonant to me. It really grabbed me.

Now that it's almost a hundred years old (Imagine that, the Rite of Spring is 100 years old!), it still sounds edgy to me - but I really love it.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
Wow, that's great.

I've still never seen the ballet, but i've heard the music live, as recently as this year.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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George K
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Finally
Watching the ballet makes it more...real. It puts the music into context, doesn't it?

I can't believe how "contemporary" Nijinsky's choreography was.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
The dancers did a great job.

Certainly can't deny that it sort of "broke the mold" 55 years ago in the classical art scene.

Though while watching it, I couldn't help to feel glad that the dance world has since moved on to Saturday Night Fever, Dirty Dancing, break dancing, and, if you want to stick to dancers jumping up and down on stage in some faux-savage manner, Stomp.
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Piano*Dad
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Bull-Carp
George K
Jul 17 2010, 05:13 PM
Watching the ballet makes it more...real. It puts the music into context, doesn't it?

I can't believe how "contemporary" Nijinsky's choreography was.
That was my thought as well. This is almost like being in a time machine and watching the birth of modernity in music and dance. I can see why it caused such a stir. Imagine being used to nothing but Swan Lake-type ballet and then 'experiencing' this. In addition, imagine that there are also rabid partisans of very different kinds of 'modern' and the pot starts to boil.
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Beacon Chris
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Junior Carp
Love Nijinsky!!
How you durrin?
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