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Album Information | Classics Explained: STRAVINSKY - The Rite of Spring (Siepmann) | Naxos Spoken Word Library
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Classics Explained: STRAVINSKY - The Rite of Spring (Siepmann)

Classics Explained: STRAVINSKY - The Rite of Spring (Siepmann)


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Category: Music Education
Composer(s):
Catalogue No.: 8.558085-86
ISBN No.: 0636943808528
Total Playing Time: 02:34:14

Track Details

Disc 1
Siepmann, Jeremy - author(s)
Classics Explained: STRAVINSKY - The Rite of Spring (Siepmann) 00:24:48
1 Introduction, background and perspective 00:05:03
2 A gentle, other-worldly start; no sign of the violence to come 00:01:33
3 Music as mosaic; the composer as constructor 00:01:57
4 Two functions of metrical change: going with the flow... 00:01:23
5 ...or disrupting it: a sample of metrical violence 00:01:02
6 A stealthy entry (clarinets) 00:00:34
7 Detour: the destabilising properties of chromaticism 00:04:04
8 On melodies, themes and motifs 00:01:03
9 The new cor anglais motif dominates 00:00:27
10 The oboe's rhythmic motif takes over 00:00:25
11 A primeval awakening 00:00:37
12 A panoply of Stravinskyan birdsong 00:00:58
13 A matter of mode 00:01:15
14 Cue to Introduction 00:00:08
15 Introduction (complete) 00:03:38
16 Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls: The 'Rite of Spring' chord 00:00:41

Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring / Dances of the Young Girls 00:10:55
17 The great arrival: bitonality 00:01:35
18 Putting the boot in: a metrical mugging 00:01:45
19 The prevalence of ostinatos, and a righting of wrongs 00:01:51
20 Metre restores (briefly) but the 'savage motif' returns 00:00:50
21 The musical savages routed 00:01:19
22 An important new arrival (the 'horn motif') 00:01:04
23 Another new theme from the horns 00:00:48
24 A crowded conclusion 00:01:43

Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of Abduction 00:04:14
25 A real study in contrasts 00:01:31
26 Panic and pandemonium as timpani open fire 00:01:09
27 Climactic melee haunted by 'fear motif' 00:01:34

Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds 00:06:31
28 Suddenly another world, as flutes hover over harmonic vapour... 00:00:59
29 ...but a transient one: new movement arises from the deep 00:00:50
30 'Dragging feet motif' over ostinato violins, twice interrupted 00:00:42
31 'Marching motif' developed further by flutes and horns 00:00:45
32 A trilling commentary from piccolo and high clarinet 00:00:25
33 'Marching motif' theme goes polymetric in huge crescendo 00:01:16
34 An unexpected change of pace as tempo doubles 00:00:53
35 And an unexpected reversion, to a quiet close 00:00:41

Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the Rival Tribes 00:09:06
36 Violent onslaught from brass and timpani launches the 'Rival Tribes' 00:00:25
37 Rival Tribes, rival motifs 00:00:22
38 Sensational violence comes close to chaos 00:00:38
39 Effects, impressions and alteration 00:01:39
40 A surprise re-entry and a change of instrumental clothing 00:00:54
41 A thinning of texture, a new idea, and a rude interruption 00:00:34
42 The new idea developed: a minor earthquake 00:00:41
43 The use of tone colour as an agent of rhythm 00:01:32
44 An unusual climax... 00:01:30
45 ...and a sinister transition 00:00:51

Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Procession of the Sage 00:03:07
46 Across the threshold into an instrumental population explosion 00:01:29
47 A sudden silence and then another world 00:01:00
48 Catapulted into the 'Dance of the Earth' 00:00:38

Part I: The Adoration of the Earth: Dance of the Earth 00:19:34
49 Tiny changes, unyielding ostinatos, massive tension 00:03:19
50 Cue to Part I complete 00:00:07
51 Part I (complete) 00:16:08

Disc 2

Part II: The Sacrifice: Introduction 00:03:53
1 Again a muted, subtly coloured start 00:01:09
2 Tone colour as atmosphere - the strings' motif 00:01:07
3 Four solo violas, above gently rocking strings 00:00:23
4 A pregnant pause, and a new motif in muted trumpets 00:01:14

Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls 00:16:19
5 Motif from the Introduction varied and extended 00:01:27
6 New motif, heralded by clarinets and violins, is introduced by alto flute 00:00:34
7 Variant of Motif No. 2 given out by two clarinets 00:00:44
8 Continued by oboes and bassoons; new motif in violins, cellos and bass clarinet 00:00:33
9 Main motifs yield to new idea from flutes 00:00:38
10 All change - direction, tone colour, metre - and two new ostinatos 00:00:40
11 Motif No. 1 returns in horn, then passed to flutes and strings 00:00:46
12 Texture, balance and tone colour keep changing 00:00:26
13 Instrumental enrichment, new counterpoint and a bleat of alarm 00:00:40
14 New derivative of Motif No. 2, a host of new sounds - and again the bleat 00:00:48
15 Into the finishing stretch, and we know we're in for something big 00:00:40
16 Putting the movement back together again 00:00:07
17 Mystic Circles of the Young Girls (complete) 00:08:16

Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One 00:12:07
18 On into one of the most sensational movements ever written 00:01:36
19 The violence is almost graphic. An example of musical terrorism 00:00:35
20 Motif No. 2: a terrible, off-beat com-pah from strings, horns and oboes 00:00:13
21 The air is filled with the fearsome baying of wind and violins 00:00:20
22 A variant of Motif No. 2, but now descending 00:00:14
23 A study in the bruality of suspense - a musical mugging 00:04:12
24 The middle section begins with a massive but unequal confrontation 00:00:27
25 Against the odds, the 'descending motif' comes out on top 00:00:23
26 In the midst of the fray, a new 'rising motif' emerges... 00:01:02
27 ...and undergoes a typcially Stravinskyan expansion and compression 00:01:03
28 A much-needed breath before the movement entire 00:00:17
29 Glorification of the Chosen One (complete) 00:01:45

Part II: The Sacrifice: Evocation of the Ancestors 00:03:11
30 The next movement consists of a single, chordal motif, three times varied 00:00:58
31 The second statement: breaking the metrical flow 00:02:13

Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors 00:10:46
32 At last the establishment of a clear and steady beat, but will it last? 00:01:21
33 A counterpoint of ostinatos lends continuity to changing time signatures 00:00:42
34 Horns introduce the first real motif, destabilised by multiple metres 00:00:32
35 The motif disappears, though the background ostinato continues 00:00:32
36 A change of mood, then the whole orchestra crashes in 00:00:49
37 The steady pulse gives way to a tossed salad of one-bar motifs 00:01:06
38 Lately abandoned, the steady pulse returns, as does the 'trumpet motif' 00:01:06
39 The movement ends with a varied reprise of the opening 00:00:15
40 Evocation of the Ancestors (complete) and Ritual Action of the Ancestors (complete) 00:04:23

Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance 00:29:43
41 The last movement is based on two motifs, the first most motable for its rhythm 00:00:20
42 The second motif is likewise predominatly rhythmical in effect 00:00:16
43 Two variants: one a rhythmic simplification, the other an expansion 00:00:20
44 A new section, again with two main motifs, the first from wind and strings 00:00:27
45 This is joined by another bried but very striking motif from muted brass 00:00:20
46 Tension dramatically increased by a violent interruption from timpani and gong 00:00:35
47 Motif No. 2 is passed from bassoons to high wind and trumpets... 00:00:34
48 ...and is twice interrupted by horns 00:00:41
49 Motif No. 1 erupts in full orchestra, then all hell breaks loose 00:00:48
50 New ostinato, over implacable repetitions of Motif No. 1, offset by clarinets 00:00:26
51 A new section, kick-started by percussion: timpani, bass drum and gong 00:01:11
52 Horns, doubled by strings, introduce the main idea of this new section 00:00:18
53 The return of the movement's opening section - or so we may think 00:00:54
54 Dramatic compression of now-familiar material 00:00:40
55 A terrifying cocktail of motifs old and new confounds expectations... 00:01:00
56 ...and leads to the coda, the final flourish of the whole work 00:01:45
57 Cue to all of Part II and end of CD 00:00:10
58 Part II (complete) 00:18:58