Igor Stravinsky

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (Cambridge Music Handbooks)

by: Peter Hill

Amazon Price: $21.18 (as of 12/29/2009)

The Rite of Spring is Stravinsky's most revolutionary work. This comprehensive guide tells in vivid detail the story of its inception and composition, of the stormy rehearsals that led to the scandalous premiere in 1913, and of Stravinsky's later betrayal of the ballet's first choreographer, Nijinsky. Peter Hill probes beneath the surface of the music to reveal an architectural conception of unsuspected guile and subtlety. He provides a detailed discussion of the work in performance and a hard-hitting conclusion, which poses a radical challenge to the orthodox view of the work.

Valery Gergiev - In Rehearsal & Performance (Stravinksy, Prokofiev, Debussy)

Amazon Price: (as of 12/29/2009)

Energy and Vitality in Musical Action

This DVD comes generously packaged with Gergiev conducting the Rotterdam PO in Stravinsky's "Fireworks" and "Piano Concerto," Debussy's "Le Martyre De Saint Sebastien" and Prokofiev's "Scythian Suite." These are real gems of interpretation: nuanced yet forceful, capturing the essence behind the notes and exuding engaging energy. For those viewers equally interested in the making of music, along the tortuous paths of meaning and music, a real treat is Gergiev's rehearsing the "Scythian Suite." Of particular relevance I found how the Ossetian Gergiev traces (some of) his people's roots back to the Scythians. Consequently, his interpretation of the meaning behind Prokofiev's music, as we listen to the music or to Gergiev talking to the orchestra members, takes on a special dimension.

Great camera work and sound. This DVD goes above and beyond the usual rehearsal sessions we see expedited in 1-hour chunks from "Image Entertainment." It approaches art!