From Prague with Love

«Riot at the Rite! A terrific uproar!». This is the kind of newspaper headline you might have read following the premiere of Igor Stravinksy’s Rite of Spring in 1913. And no wonder: the ballet’s groundbreaking music and provocative choreography shocked pre-WWI audiences to their core. The composer’s response to his critics? «Go to hell!». Let’s hope for a slightly tamer reaction from our Philharmonie audience as we explore some springtime rites; beginning with an exuberant Carnival and finishing with Stravinksy’s evocation of an ancient pagan ritual.