Classics Explained: STRAVINSKY - The Rite of Spring [2 CD] (2003)

Track Listings

• 1. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): Introduction, Background And Perspective
• 2. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): A Gentle, Other-Worldly Start; No Sign Of The Violence To Come
• 3. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): Music As Mosaic; The Composer As Constructor
• 4. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): Two Functions Of Metrical Change: Going With The Flow...
• 5. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): ...Or Disrupting It: A Sample Of Metrical Violence
• 6. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): A Stealthy Entry (Clarinets)
• 7. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): Detour: The Destabilising Properties Of Chromaticism
• 8. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): On Melodies, Themes And Motifs
• 9. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): The New Cor Anglais Motif Dominates
• 10. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): The Oboe's Rhythmic Motif Takes Over
• 11. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): A Primeval Awakening
• 12. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): A Panoply Of Stravinskyan Birdsong
• 13. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): A Matter Of Mode
• 14. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): Cue To Introduction
• 15. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): Introduction (Complete)
• 16. Classics Explained: Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring (Siepmann): Part I: The Adoration Of The Earth: The Augurs Of Spring / Dances Of The Young Girls: The 'Rite Of Spring' Chord
• 17. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls: The great arrival: bitonality
• 18. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls: Putting the boot in: a metrical mugging
• 19. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls: The prevalence of ostinatos, and a righting of wrongs
• 20. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls: Metre restores (briefly) but the 'savage motif' returns
• 21. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls: The musical savages routed
• 22. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls: An important new arrival (the 'horn motif')
• 23. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls: Another new theme from the horns
• 24. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls: A crowded conclusion
• 25. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of Abduction: A real study in contrasts
• 26. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of Abduction: Panic and pandemonium as timpani open fire
• 27. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of Abduction: Climactic melee haunted by 'fear motif'
• 28. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds: Suddenly another world, as flutes hover over harmonic vapour...
• 29. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds: ...but a transient one: new movement arises from the deep
• 30. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds: 'Dragging feet motif' over ostinato violins, twice interrupted
• 31. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds: 'Marching motif' developed further by flutes and horns
• 32. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds: A trilling commentary from piccolo and high clarinet
• 33. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds: 'Marching motif' theme goes polymetric in huge crescendo
• 34. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds: An unexpected change of pace as tempo doubles
• 35. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds: And an unexpected reversion, to a quiet close
• 36. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: Violent onslaught from brass and timpani launches the 'Rival Tribes'
• 37. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: Rival Tribes, rival motifs
• 38. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: Sensational violence comes close to chaos
• 39. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: Effects, impressions and alteration
• 40. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: A surprise re-entry and a change of instrumental clothing
• 41. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: A thinning of texture, a new idea, and a rude interruption
• 42. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: The new idea developed: a minor earthquake
• 43. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: The use of tone colour as an agent of rhythm
• 44. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: An unusual climax...
• 45. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes: ...and a sinister transition
• 46. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Procession of the Sage: Across the threshold into an instrumental population explosion
• 47. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Procession of the Sage: A sudden silence and then another world
• 48. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Procession of the Sage: Catapulted into the 'Dance of the Earth'
• 49. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Dance of the Earth: Tiny changes, unyielding ostinatos, massive tension
• 50. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Dance of the Earth: Cue to Part I complete
• 51. Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Dance of the Earth: Part I (complete)
• 52. Part II: The Sacrifice: Introduction: Again a muted, subtly coloured start
• 53. Part II: The Sacrifice: Introduction: Tone colour as atmosphere - the strings' motif
• 54. Part II: The Sacrifice: Introduction: Four solo violas, above gently rocking strings
• 55. Part II: The Sacrifice: Introduction: A pregnant pause, and a new motif in muted trumpets
• 56. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Motif from the Introduction varied and extended
• 57. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: New motif, heralded by clarinets and violins, is introduced by alto flute
• 58. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Variant of Motif No. 2 given out by two clarinets
• 59. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Continued by oboes and bassoons; new motif in violins, cellos and bass clarinet
• 60. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Main motifs yield to new idea from flutes
• 61. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: All change - direction, tone colour, metre - and two new ostinatos
• 62. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Motif No. 1 returns in horn, then passed to flutes and strings
• 63. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Texture, balance and tone colour keep changing
• 64. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Instrumental enrichment, new counterpoint and a bleat of alarm
• 65. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: New derivative of Motif No. 2, a host of new sounds - and again the bleat
• 66. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Into the finishing stretch, and we know we're in for something big
• 67. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Putting the movement back together again
• 68. Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls (complete)
• 69. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: On into one of the most sensational movements ever written
• 70. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: The violence is almost graphic. An example of musical terrorism
• 71. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: Motif No. 2: a terrible, off-beat com-pah from strings, horns and oboes
• 72. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: The air is filled with the fearsome baying of wind and violins
• 73. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: A variant of Motif No. 2, but now descending
• 74. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: A study in the bruality of suspense - a musical mugging
• 75. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: The middle section begins with a massive but unequal confrontation
• 76. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: Against the odds, the 'descending motif' comes out on top
• 77. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: In the midst of the fray, a new 'rising motif' emerges...
• 78. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: ...and undergoes a typcially Stravinskyan expansion and compression
• 79. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: A much-needed breath before the movement entire
• 80. Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One: Glorification of the Chosen One (complete)
• 81. Part II: The Sacrifice: Evocation of the Ancestors: The next movement consists of a single, chordal motif, three times varied
• 82. Part II: The Sacrifice: Evocation of the Ancestors: The second statement: breaking the metrical flow
• 83. Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors: At last the establishment of a clear and steady beat, but will it last?
• 84. Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors: A counterpoint of ostinatos lends continuity to changing time signatures
• 85. Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors: Horns introduce the first real motif, destabilised by multiple metres
• 86. Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors: The motif disappears, though the background ostinato continues
• 87. Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors: A change of mood, then the whole orchestra crashes in
• 88. Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors: The steady pulse gives way to a tossed salad of one-bar motifs
• 89. Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors: Lately abandoned, the steady pulse returns, as does the 'trumpet motif'
• 90. Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors: The movement ends with a varied reprise of the opening
• 91. Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors: Evocation of the Ancestors (complete) and Ritual Action of the Ancestors (complete)
• 92. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: The last movement is based on two motifs, the first most motable for its rhythm
• 93. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: The second motif is likewise predominatly rhythmical in effect
• 94. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: Two variants: one a rhythmic simplification, the other an expansion
• 95. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: A new section, again with two main motifs, the first from wind and strings
• 96. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: This is joined by another bried but very striking motif from muted brass
• 97. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: Tension dramatically increased by a violent interruption from timpani and gong
• 98. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: Motif No. 2 is passed from bassoons to high wind and trumpets...
• 99. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: ...and is twice interrupted by horns
• 100. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: Motif No. 1 erupts in full orchestra, then all hell breaks loose
• 101. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: New ostinato, over implacable repetitions of Motif No. 1, offset by clarinets
• 102. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: A new section, kick-started by percussion: timpani, bass drum and gong
• 103. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: Horns, doubled by strings, introduce the main idea of this new section
• 104. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: The return of the movement's opening section - or so we may think
• 105. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: Dramatic compression of now-familiar material
• 106. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: A terrifying cocktail of motifs old and new confounds expectations...
• 107. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: ...and leads to the coda, the final flourish of the whole work
• 108. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: Cue to all of Part II and end of CD
• 109. Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: Part II (complete)