The opening concert of the 2013 New Music
Indaba on October 10 will feature The
Rite of Spring in a four-hand piano arrangement.
The
première performance of Stravinsky's ballet Le
Sacre du Printemps (the Rite of
Spring) took place at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on May 29, 1913.
The work was so revolutionary, both in the structure of the music and the
innovative choreography, that a riot erupted in the audience as soon as the
opening bars were played. The work's unconventional music, 'unnatural'
choreography and the Russian pagan setting were all at odds with the
expectations of an audience steeped in a long tradition of classical ballet,
and the notoriety of the event fixed it firmly as a significant moment in the
history of European art music.
With the
passage of time, the work has become appreciated for the ground-breaking
innovation it brought to the genre, and is now considered to be a milestone in
the history of ballet. It is regularly performed as part of the international
orchestral repertoire, and Stravinsky's influence can be heard in the works of
many 20th century composers.
Stravinsky
made a four-hand piano arrangement of The
Rite of Spring which became the first published version of the work, and of
which he and the composer Claude Debussy played the first half together in June
1912. This is the version being performed at the NewMusic Indaba’s opening
concert by Jill Richards and Michael Watt. The concert will also feature other
extraordinary works by Fluxus composers, Cage, Cowell and more.
This is
a performance of a ground-breaking work by two of South Africa's foremost new
music pianists.
The concert takes place at 19h00 for 19h30 on
October 10. Tickets R100
(R50 students/pensioners, free for NewMusicSA members) at the door. Tickets include
light snacks and a glass of wine sponsored by the Distell Foundation for the
performing arts.
For more
information, contact 072 822 7988, email: tozerkg@iafrica.com
or visit www.newmusicsa.org.za
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