100 Years After Stravinsky's 'Rite,' Can Classical Music Still Shock?
Conducting Business
English - April 29, 2013 18:05 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MB - ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsPerforming Arts Arts Business wqxr new york public radio conducting business classical music Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Previous Episode: Does Classical Music at Train Stations Really Deter Crime?
On May 29, 1913, the Paris premiere of Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring provoked a riot: whistling and booing, catcalls and fisticuffs overran the performance and the police were called in to quiet the angry crowd. It became one of the most celebrated scandals in music history.
Today, The Rite of Spring is practically an audience favorite and rioting in concert halls is unthinkable. But is this a good thing? Does classical music need more shock value, more scandals?