Rite of Spring Premieres: Paris Riots Over Avant-Garde
Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring premiered at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris on May 29, 1913, and provoked a near-riot. The audience began shouting and whistling during the opening bars, when a solo bassoon played in an unprecedentedly high register. Vaslav Nijinsky's choreography, featuring stamping movements and angular poses, further outraged the crowd. Fistfights broke out between supporters and opponents, and the noise became so loud that the dancers could not hear the orchestra. Nijinsky stood in the wings shouting counts to the performers. Police were called but did not restore order. Stravinsky fled the theater. The scandal made the work instantly famous. Within a year, the orchestral suite (without ballet) was performed to standing ovations in Paris and London.
May 29, 1913
113 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Paris
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ballet
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Igor Stravinsky
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The Rite of Spring
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Igor Stravinsky
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Ballet
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The Rite of Spring
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Paris
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Ballets Russes
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Sergei Diaghilev
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Theaterskandal
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Pierre Monteux
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Vaslav Nijinsky
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Chorégraphie
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