Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms / The Rite of Spring

Featuring

Sixten Ehrling
Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester
Radiokören
Igor Stravinsky

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Composition History

Igor Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms" was commissioned in 1930 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Composer Biography

Stravinsky conceived "The Rite of Spring" after a vision of a pagan feast where old wise men watched a young girl's death dance, sacrificed to propitiate the god of spring.

Compositional Technique

Despite large forces, Stravinsky was economical with musical material in the "Symphony of Psalms," constructing it with strict logic and archaic melodic elements.

Compositional Technique

For his "Symphony of Psalms," Stravinsky omitted violins and violas entirely, instead using a mixed choir, a strengthened wind section, and two pianos.

Notable Performances

The 1913 premiere of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" in Paris was a major scandal, with audience members fighting and the choreographer Nijinsky yelling numbers to dancers over the din.

Composition History

Sergei Koussevitsky, the chief conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, suggested commissioning his compatriot and fellow exile, Igor Stravinsky, for a new work.