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Rating: "The Rite of Spring" by Igor F. Stravinsky is one of the world's masterpieces of classical music, as well as a manifesto of contemporary musical culture. The ballet was presented on the now distant May 29, 1913, sparking a real uproar already during the execution of the "premiere." These "tableaux of pagan Russia," as the author himself defined them, represent a turning point in the Western musical horizon; a work whose highly expressive and innovative contents and languages influenced the entire generation of composers to come: orchestras, interpretations, forms, and expressive formulas would never be the same again.
The "Rite" is one of the very first works of the young Stravinsky, who, having well studied the lessons of Glinka, Korsakov, Mussorgsky, the great Russian composers who first plundered the Russian folk musical tradition, was preparing, on the other hand, to educate Copland, Gershwin, and Schönberg, who would soon treasure his fundamental teachings. Such was the revolutionary scope of this extraordinary experiment. But let's move on to analyze the work closely, in its main features.
The avant-garde choice of inserting dissonances and unprecedented intertwining between tonal instruments and percussion is one of the most noted and visited aspects by critics. Surprising is still the unrestrained use of "crescendos" and accelerations, or, conversely, pauses and sudden breaks (above all, the unexpected "fall" of the last seconds). As for the structure of the harmonies, the themes, sometimes melodic, other times vehement and orgiastic, chase and overlap each other to then disappear, manifesting themselves then, unrecognizable, when the context has changed. The melodies thus create unique and unmistakable eurhythmic textures, a veritable "trademark" of early Stravinsky. As for the orchestral choices, instead, the contribution of winds of the most varied colors is noticeable, from brass to bassoons, flutes, oboes, as well as string instruments, essential not only for the background "carpet." Massive is also the presence of various percussion: triangles, bells, gongs, timpani, and drums. The numerous and redundant orchestra of the "Rite" remains, in fact, one of the most grandiose and extravagant examples of the entire symphonic production between the 19th and 20th centuries.
The work is structured in two macro-movements, divided, in turn, into various episodes:
First part: The Adoration of the Earth
Introduction
Augurs of Spring - Dances of the Adolescents
Ritual of Abduction
Spring Rounds
Ritual of the Rival Tribes - Procession of the Sage - The Sage
Dance of the Earth
Second part: The Sacrifice
Introduction
Mystic Circles of the Adolescents
Glorification of the Chosen One
Evocation of the Ancestors
Ritual Action of the Ancestors
Sacrificial Dance of the Chosen One
As can be easily deduced from the names of the various parts, the action described by the music takes place during a pagan propitiation ritual. Spring, after a long Winter, demands the blood of a maiden to regenerate and return to give vitality to the tired and frozen Russian land. Hence the presence in the ballet of figures such as the sage, the dancing maidens, and the Chosen One, destined for a sad (but inevitable) fate. Thus, the tempos and melodies of the work vary according to the different episodes: from the calm and delicate ones of the augurs, to the tribal rhythms of the dances, to the dramatic tones of the evocations and rituals that prepare the sacrifice. The skilful use of the orchestra also adds that sense of mystery and ancestral dismay that is primarily enhanced thanks to the woods and percussion. The descriptive value is therefore of fundamental importance, so much so that excerpts from the "Rite" are often used to accompany images of religious or magical ceremonies. Beware, though: primitive and obscure is only the sense that is sometimes perceived from listening to some episodes; in reality, thanks to Stravinsky's meticulous work, the variety of registers also shows thanks to the different emotions that listening provokes, so the darker atmospheres are succeeded by (or, brilliantly, overlap with) the more airy and jovial ones.
An extraordinary work, in conclusion, and not easy to listen to, but precisely because of this, once assimilated, doubly rewarding.
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