The Fredösphere

Tonight I'll hear for the first time Le Sacre performed live.  Lisa Hirsch has links regarding the Joffrey Ballet's reconstruction of Nijinsky's original choreography.  She says it looks like nothing she's seen before.  I was surprised that some of the native costumes look very Native American -- I guess there's something to that whole Bering Land Bridge idea after all.

Stravinsky's quiet opening music was originally performed in darkness before a closed curtain (or so I recall reading somewhere).  This video adopts the modern practice of beginning with credits shown over the opening music.  It's amusing to think audiences trained to watch movies rather than listen to orchestras would doubtless accept this opening docilely.  They would profess boredom with the exact same music in a concert hall setting.  The addition of a display of names of people they don't care about is sufficient to pacify them.  Mirabile dictu!

Hey, visuals entertain me too.  Foot stomping gives motivation to the thump-thump-thump-thump-thump music, and Nijinsky uses little tilts of the head to explain Stravinsky's woodwind flourishes.  Now if only someone would revive Daphnis et Cloé somewhere I could watch it, I would be happy.

Labels: Culture