Rachmaninoff – Symphonic Dances; Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring
Toronto Symphony Orchestra;
Peter Oundjian
TSO Live
tso.ca/tsolive
TSO Live is a self-produced label of live concert recordings, established in 2008 by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and its music director Peter Oundjian. Their newest release features Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, two works that share a common thread of experimental harmonies and prominent rhythms.
Rachmaninov composed this orchestral suite in three movements in 1940, shortly after escaping the war in Europe and moving to the United States. It was originally conceived as a ballet; its final version retained complex rhythms but also became very symphonic in nature. The first movement starts with a marching fast section, with beautifully rendered dynamic contrasts in the orchestra. Shifting harmonies and elements of sarcasm continue in the second movement, combining folksy melodies with waltz-like lilts. The last movement is inspired by the chants of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Gregorian chant of the dead. In a way, it was as if Rachmaninov had a premonition — Symphonic Dances was to be his last original composition. The TSO maintains a cohesive expression with many beautiful textures throughout this piece.
The star of this recording, in my opinion, is The Rite of Spring. It is dark, it is pagan, it is mystically powerful. It contains complex rhythms and metres, experiments in tonality and dissonance. Stravinsky wrote it 100 years ago, in 1913, for a Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes company. The premiere caused a riot in the audience — many were escorted outside and the reaction barely subsided by the end of this 35-minute ballet. It was said that Nijinsky, who choreographed this piece, had to keep shouting the number of steps to the dancers as they could not hear the orchestra at times. It was a pleasure hearing the TSO playing with such gusto and precision. The avant-garde elements that caused a disturbance 100 years ago are almost certainly the same elements that appeal to the contemporary audience. It is not a surprise that The Rite of Spring remains one of the most recorded works of the classical repertoire. This recording has a freshness that captivates the listener.
