THE RITE OF SPRING

Igor Stravinsky burst onto the international music scene with the ballets he composed for the Ballets Russes in Paris. First came The Firebird, a fairy-tale ballet that evoked the atmosphere of a mythical garden in all its magnificence. Petrushka, on the other hand, sees a straw puppet driven to the verge of madness with its primal music.

The Rite of Spring provided a brutal climax to this series of works. This ballet, depicting an ancient ritual, foreshadowed the devastation of World War I with a raw power that embodied the violent nature of humanity. For audiences of the time, this was too much: according to legend, the relentless rhythms, dense sound structures, revolutionary melodies and ear-shattering volume of The Rite of Spring incited the audience at the premiere to riot. Despite this – or perhaps because of it – The Rite of Spring quickly became renowned as a century-defining milestone.

Now the British conductor Andrew Manze, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and the Tapiola Sinfonietta join forces to perform an undisputed masterpiece of the 20th century. This concert is not to be missed.