The Rite of Spring

The premiere of The Rite of Spring in 1913 famously led to rioting. Stravinsky’s unprecedentedly violent musical language and Vaslav Nijinsky’s brutal choreography resonate with the atmosphere of the time and the events that would lead to the outbreak of the First World War.

The concert program has been planned by the orchestra’s resident composer, Anna Thorvaldsdottir from Iceland. The composer’s instructions for playing her music are like an introduction to meditation: “When you see a long sustained pitch, think of it as a fragile flower that you need to carry in your hands and walk the distance on a thin rope without dropping it or falling. Absolute tranquillity with the necessary amount of concentration are needed to perform the task.”