What classical music piece caused a riot?!
Question: I am trying to remember the classical music piece that caused a riot at a concert because it was too disonent. Does anyone remember who composed it and any other details?
Answers: I am trying to remember the classical music piece that caused a riot at a concert because it was too disonent. Does anyone remember who composed it and any other details?
the rite of spring, provoked this response. After coming up with the idea of the piece in 1910 from a fantasy vision of pagan ritual (his fleeting vision of a young girl dancing herself to death) while composing The Firebird, Stravinsky began forming sketches and ideas for the piece, enlisting the help of archaeologist and folklorist Nikolai Roerich. Though he was sidetracked for a year while he worked on Petrushka (which he intended to be a light burlesque as a relief from the orchestrally-intense work already in progress), The Rite of Spring was composed between 1912 and 1913 for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Roerich was an integral part of the creation of the work, drawing from scenes of historical rites for inspiration; Stravinsky referred to the work-in-progress as "our child". After going through revisions almost up until the very day of its first performance, it was premiered on May 29, 1913 at the Théatre des Champs-élysées in Paris and was conducted by Pierre Monteux. Stravinsky would later write that a better translation to English would have been "The Coronation of Spring."
The Ballets Russes staged the first performance. The intensely rhythmic score and primitive scenario—a setting of scenes from pagan Russia—shocked audiences more accustomed to the demure conventions of classical ballet. Vaslav Nijinsky's choreography was a radical departure from classical ballet. Different from the long and graceful lines of traditional ballet, arms and legs were sharply bent. The dancers danced more from their pelvis than their feet, a style that later influenced Martha Graham. Stravinsky would later write in his autobiography of the process of working with Nijinsky on the choreography, writing: "the poor boy knew nothing of music" and that Nijinsky "had been saddled with a task beyond his capacity." While Stravinsky praised Nijinsky's amazing dance talent, he was frustrated working with him on choreography.
The complex music and violent dance steps depicting fertility rites first drew catcalls and whistles from the crowd. At the start with the opening bassoon solo, the audience began to boo loudly due to the slight discord in the background notes behind the bassoon's opening melody. There were loud arguments in the audience between supporters and opponents of the work. These were soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience eventually degenerated into a riot. The Paris police arrived by intermission, but they restored only limited order. Chaos reigned for the remainder of the performance, and Stravinsky himself was so upset on account of its reception that he fled the theater in mid-scene, reportedly crying.Fellow composer Camille Saint-Sa?ns famously stormed out of the première, (though Stravinsky later said "I do not know who invented the story that he was present at, but soon walked out of, the premiere.") allegedly infuriated over the misuse of the bassoon in the ballet's opening bars.
Stravinsky ran backstage, where Diaghilev was turning the lights on and off in an attempt to try to calm the audience. Nijinsky stood on a chair, leaned out (far enough that Stravinsky had to grab his coat-tail), and shouted counts to the dancers, who were unable to hear the orchestra (this was challenging because Russian numbers are polysyllabic above ten, such as eighteen: vosemnadsat).
Although Nijinsky and Stravinsky were despondent, Diaghilev (a Russian art critic as well as the ballet's impresario) commented that the scandal was "just what I wanted". The music and choreography were considered barbaric and sexual and are also often noted as being the primary factorsfor the cause of the riot, but many political and social tensions surrounding the premiere contributed to the backlash as well[citation needed]. Even though Nijinsky's original choreography was lost, the work is now a standard of dance troupes around the world and has been choreographed by Pina Bausch and Sir Kenneth MacMillan.
The ballet completed its run of seven performances amid controversy, but experienced no further disruption. The same performers gave a production of the work in London later the same year. Both Stravinsky and Nijinsky continued to work, but neither created pieces in this percussive and intense style again.
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring.
As much I love the story of the Right of Spring riot many historians think it was a fake, created by Diaghilev to get publicity. During my 30 years of concert and opera going I only saw one perforance that got even close to a riot. It was a dance theater piece by Karole Armitage and Kathy Acker.
It was the Rite of Spring--and there are documents from third parties that confirm that the riot occurred.
Bernstein's Mass caused a scandal at its premiere at the Kennedy Center in DC. One woman loudly called it "blasphemy" as she walked out of the concert. I know that's not a riot, but still...
There are a number of pieces that have caused riots.
most famous is Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
the music itself is probably the smallest factor contributing to the riot. The music was only a small step more extreme than contemporaneous music of Ravel and Debussy. What was quite shocking to the audience was the dance. The Ballet Russe performed the choreography of Nijinsky. this choreography was full of shocks. the audience was probably expecting classical ballet, instead they got the origins of modern and post-modern dance.
there has been some suggestion that Dhiagilev staged the riot. He did after all say that he was quite pleased with the premiere, and that the result is what he intended.
A few years later Alexander Tcherepenin upon hearing about the great press attention Stranvisnky got because of the riot wrote a piece that was intended to be so extreme and avant-garde so as to cause another riot. the piece was his Symphony no. 2. The piece was the first percussion ensemble piece, the second movement being writting for unpitched percussion only. While there was disorderly conduct and a few arrests were made at this concert, it was not near the level of mahem at the rite.
George Antheil also caused a small riot at the premiere of his Ballet Mechanique.
Oh, that was Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps. It was on May 29, 1913, I believe. Poor man...
People were hitting each other over the head and yelling insults at the ballet dancers(Nijinsky's choreography was very strange, but then again, it's a strange ballet.) Nijinsky was even standing on a chair yelling numbers at the dancers. 9! 11! 13! 14! The noise was so loud that it almost drowned out the orchestra. Stravinsky's friends who were in the audience were yelling at the rest to be quiet, but...
Pierre Monteux just kept conducting...
That was the only time there was a riot at a performance of Le Sacre. Apparantly Diaghilev was deligted by the scandal. At performances afterwards, the people began to realize that there's more to it than just dissonace and harsh rhythms. It's an excellent portrayal of well...The Rite of Spring.
Ravelinsky