|
September 27, 2007
looking ahead in 1913
On Tuesday night I saw the Philadelphia Orchestra perform one of the all-time greatest symphonies ever composed -- Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. It'a hard to blog about something that has to be heard to be appreciated. Anyway, we've all heard bits and pieces of it, as it's been used in countless soundtracks, and anticipated countless others. The shower stabbing music in Psycho, the theme song from Jaws, and other similarly imitative music -- all finds origin in the Rite of Spring. At the time (1913) it caused quite a shock, even rioting broke out. I guess the blatant Paganism ("The pagans on-stage made pagans of the audience") and Nijinsky's manic dancing must have been something for a largely monarchical world still steeped in stodgy traditions. Philadelphia's conductor Christoph Eschenbach did a splendid job. I sat in row three, so I could watch the interaction between him and the musicians in ways I normally can't. Conductors are supposed to stay ahead of the actual music you hear, and being up close like that really gives the full sense of that lag. It would not be easy to stay ahead of what you're hearing, and I can't imagine how much time it must take to learn how to do that for every instrument in the orchestra. Of course, the Rite of Spring seemed to anticipate World War I, which came a year later, when the tension between the old and the modern finally exploded. Whether this tension was settled, though, is debatable. The Rite of Spring is "traditional" now, but I think it's still ahead of its time. posted by Eric on 09.27.07 at 08:42 PM
Comments
Ah, technically The Rite of Spring is ballet music, not a symphony. I don't think it actually has a form -- just disjointed sections that end abruptly. Little melodic motives, pounding rhythms, primitive screeches - a kind of montage of broken Romanticism. Frank · September 28, 2007 12:23 AM Actually, in my training as a conductor, it's become obvious to me that it's really just a (bad) habit that orchestras are behind or conductors ahead. It's just something that ensembles got used to, and now it's a convention. Orchestras can be right with a conductor if they choose to (or if the conductor has the temerity to insist on it). John S. · September 28, 2007 01:09 AM What Frank and John S. said. It was originally a ballet score and works toward a different end than an symphony. Whether it was the music or Nijinsky's choreography that caused the riot is still being debated. Conductors I've worked with have tended to be 'on the music', not ahead of it. They also don't care very much about individual instruments unless that instrument is doing something like a solo or carrying a particular thread. Or, of course, is doing something wrong. The cattle are just supposed to do what they're supposed to do. John Burgess · September 28, 2007 10:40 AM The ascending tones at the crisis are one of my key arguments in favor of existentialism. This from a self-described pragmatic realist. I grew up on Eugene Ormandy and his love of Shostakovich. One of my dad's favorites was the Carmina Burana. If Ormandy had had Bernstein's deft touch before the television camera I think we would have a much different appreciation of the classics today. Hmm? The French were of course scandalized! As previous commenters have noted, what is this? A ballet? or a symphony? OregonGuy · September 28, 2007 11:49 PM My background is that I have a BA in music, and was working toward my Masters when the VietNam war intervened. Romanticism ended with both a whimper and a scream -- Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky. Today we're left with Cage's minimalist Haiku crap, second rate movie composers like Copeland, and others not worth mentioning. Frank · September 29, 2007 03:03 PM Post a comment
You may use basic HTML for formatting.
|
|
October 2007
WORLD-WIDE CALENDAR
Search the Site
E-mail
Classics To Go
Archives
October 2007
September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 May 2002 AB 1634 MBAPBSALLAMERICANGOP See more archives here Old (Blogspot) archives
Recent Entries
"jaw-dropping demagoguery"
I Will Not Lie Dark Star "Tou che!" Dr. Bussard's Final Interview Yearning for the good old days (and building a better yesterday) More Chaos Paul vs Clinton When victims collide.... "Columbine!" "Gun"! "Noose!" Some hysteria required.
Links
Site Credits
|
|
I'm not sure if it is ahead or behind, but performed in September, the Rite of Spring is certainly out of synch with its time.