Spring Fever: 100 Years of 'The Rite of Spring'

Join Cale Wiggins, Marin Alsop and other experts as we celebrate 100 years of Igor Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring,’ featuring a remastered version of the definitive performance by Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic. (originally aired 2013)

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‘The Rite of Spring.” Considered scandalous at its premier on May 29, 1913, it quickly wormed its way into the repertoire. Classical Music host Cale Wiggins, with the help of Maestro Marin Alsop, and others, explore the scandal of the work’s premier and what made the piece sound so new. You’ll hear a newly remastered classic recording of the Rite by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.

You’ll meet the men behind the scenes, see costumes and backdrops from performances and have a collection of video representations of the piece to choose from, showing you the work in the new ways. Enjoy!

THE MEN BEHIND THE SCENES:

Vaslav Nijinsky
Russian dancer and choreographer. Considered the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century. Protégé of Sergei Diaghilev. Incapacitated by mental illness by 1917.

Sergei Diaghilev
Impresario of the Ballet Russe. Simultaneously studied law at the University of St. Petersburg and singing and music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Introduced modern Russian culture to Paris and the rest of Western Europe.

Igor Stravinsky
One of the greatest musical minds of the 20th century. He was still a fairly obscure composer until The Rite of Spring. Later, he also became an important figure in neoclassical music.

Nicholas Roerich
Russian writer, painter, archaeologist, theosophist, philosopher, and public figure. Designed sets and costumes for the Rite of Spring. Dedicated activist for the cause of preserving art and architecture during wartime, he was nominated multiple times for the Nobel prize.