Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring (Rare Recording)

As a serious collector of Rite of Spring recordings, I always seek out the most abstract and unknown performances to see how conductors and orchestras approach this massive piece. So when I heard that this was the nastiest and dirtiest version available, I had to seek it out.
I ended up finding an LP on amazon and with the help of a audio teacher, was able to make mp3s from the record. (Thanks Omar!)
Enjoy this completely forgotten recording from 1967 with Bohdan Wodiczko conducting the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

[@jemine5396]

Stravinsky goes hard on this one. He truly is the G.O.A.T.

[@YouTubesucksdick]

Not quite the "G.O.A.T" still good though

[@cinemagraphymahivara2000]

Firebird is more monumental and interesting than spring and mad petrushka

[@roymayh3819]

Savage. Raw. Unvarnished. Disruptive. Unpolished. Terrifying. Borderline atonal. Untamed. I think this is exactly how the composer intended it to be. Great take on it, expressive and captures so much of the intended mood. Played with skill and character, different and in a good way. This is so enjoyable, it's gripping, it grabs you and won't let go. A real treat, thank you for this.

[@p.terodactyl6848]

This is seriously the best recording of the piece. The slightly out of tune-ness of the old recording adds an element of bizarre microtonality to this already otherworldly piece. Such a shame how rare it is.

[@socraticgadfly]

No, the 1940, by Stravinsky, with the 1929 critical version of the score, is the best. kzbin.info/www/bejne/onnbiWCIYrFmrqs

[@lachlanmccall1012]

Absolutely agreed

[@TownsAtLeast]

it’s literally different music. incredible.

[@Axadn]

I like that they take their time with Spring rounds (the section at 8:55) Too many conductors rush this section. Totally kills the mood

[@kirsten889]

I've noticed that when Stravinsky conducts he usually takes the Spring Rounds section at a faster pace than this, so I guess that's his preference. But man do I love it when they play it at a slower tempo. It's such a beautiful section.

[@dudefrombelgium]

@TheKid Hahaha!

[@hpatss4966]

@@kirsten889it’s like the firebird, strav likes to rush the ending

[@HM-uw3vw]

The inner woodwind voices are particularly noticeable here. I'm hearing fully realized harmonies for the first time.

[@v_munu]

This definitely has a much "nastier" quality to it than most modern recordings. Love it.

[@atticusige7400]

Psycho movie murder scene music 5:12 , the Tatooine background music from Starwars at 17:17 , The evil queen getting ready to drink her aging potion from Snow White at 22:24 , Bambi duels Ronno in a buck fight 25:54

[@DyenamicFilms]

Jaws at 3:44

[@jassenjj]

I really do not understand why the performances of today go for ornaments and refined figures, when the power of the Rite obviously is in something else. This one is a really great performance.

[@guidepost42]

I agree. In an "authentic ' performance of Sacre, I imagine the musicians don't play notes, they fire automatic weapons at the audience, which loves the assault.

[@jmwoods190]

@@guidepost42 Tchaikovsky, and even more so Puccini sure understood that and took it to another level!

[@user-pq6hg4qh7i]

素晴らしいレコードを紹介してくださったことに感謝します。1967年といえば、西側諸国ではマルケヴィッチのフィルハーモニア管弦楽団の名録音を皮切りに、小澤征爾、ズービンメータ、ピエールブーレーズと立て続けのレコーディングラッシュが始まったころですね。 東欧圏のポーランドは欧州圏ではあってもそう簡単に演奏家が交流できる環境になかったはずですが、このレベルの高い演奏水準とストイックで繊細な音色、ホールの残響、爆発的な打楽器とブラス。スラブ系オーケストラのくすんだ音色がよりこの曲持っているの呪術的で野蛮な世界観を見事に抉ってくれています。またテンポ設定がダンスで上演されることをきっちり理解している指揮者なんじゃないかと思うぐらい、コンサートパフォーマンス向けというより、生き物が大地を踏み鳴らすステップに近い野蛮さを髣髴とさせる点出色の演奏だと思います。 東西冷戦がなかったらどれだけ芸術領域は進化したかと思うと残念でなりません。この演奏では、少し編成に合わせて楽譜に手が入っているのかな？と思われる場所もあるようです。（オクターブ下でユニゾンがあったかなとスコアを見返したりしました）それ以上に、わたし自身が打楽器出身者であることも要因なのですが、空中分解寸前で踏みとどまってこの曲に相応しい音をたたき出している打楽器が素晴らしかったです。ブラボーと言いたいです。

[@rorycraig]

Part № 1 - 'The Adoration of the Earth': Section № 1 - 'Introduction': 00:03 Section № 2 - 'The Augurs of Spring, Dances of the Young Girls': 03:43 Section № 3 - 'The Ritual of Abduction': 06:59 Section № 4 - 'Spring Rounds': 08:20 Section № 5 - 'The Ritual of the Rival Tribes': 12:59 Section № 6 - 'The Procession of the Sage': 14:45 Section № 7 - 'The Sage': 15:30 Section № 8 - 'The Dance of the Earth': 15:53 Part № 2 - 'The Sacrifice': Section № 1 - 'Introduction': 17:17 Section № 2 - 'Mystic Circles of the Young Girls': 21:49 Section № 3 - 'The Glorification of the Chosen One': 25:22 Section № 4 - 'The Evocation of the Ancestors': 26:57 Section № 5 - 'The Ritual Action of the Ancestors': 27:44 Section № 6 - 'The Sacrificial Dance': 31:13

[@Imanoooob645]

This is the loudest

[@masontaylor2764]

Hi Mead1955. Just like you, I count myself a serious collector of Sacres (well into triple figures, frighteningly) but this is one I’d never even heard of before now, so many, many thanks for finding it and making available. Despite the occasional bizarre balance it’s a great find: in the main a real red-blooded, feral beast that’s much closer to what I expect of a performance than the domesticated creature that seems to be trotted out on disc so often today - dirty and nasty without doubt. (Ironic, isn’t it, that now we’ve reached the point where recording techniques and media are capable of capturing virtually the whole vivid, violent experience of a huge orchestra unleashed which lies at the heart of Le Sacre that so many recent interpretations seek to play down its might and majesty?) This rendition is not without its quirks though: not only tuning issues and occasional scrappiness (not exactly rare in this piece on disc - but especially here where Wodichko’s excessive rubato at the start of the second part completely flumoxes his players). And has anybody else noticed a couple of moments where the orchestration seems to have been tampered with? Perhaps they couldn’t lay their hands on the crotales/tuned antique cymbals specified in the score, as they’ve clearly been replaced by tubular bells starting at 6’06” (Fig.29 in the Boosey score), and the guiro in Cortege du Sage (15’08” - Fig. 70) is either missing or lost in the rather congested and distorted mix (again, not the only recording where this happens - I've noticed that at several live performances I've attended or seen on tv they use two players, each with a guiro -or washboard at the recent RSNO performances - to help the sound cut through the polyrhythmic mayhem at this point ). Stranger still is an alteration at 28’49” (Fig. 132) where the bass trumpet part appears to be cued-in by something bigger, deeper and altogether more mellow (tenor tuba?) although the solo entries between Figs 139 and 140 do sound right. A copyist’s error maybe? I don’t expect that there’ll ever be a perfect Sacre on disc - it’s just too complex and challenging for interpreters and engineers alike to be able to tick every box - so I’ve long accepted that approaching it from different interpretations offers a much more rounded view, and I’m also aware that it’s not always the big name versions that deliver the most involving and satisfying experience. While this one is perhaps too wilful and erratic to join the central core of versions I listen to most, I’ll certainly return to it occasionally as an antidote to some of the note-perfect but characterless performances that are out there.... Once again, very many thanks for making this available.

[@mead1955]

Hi, and thank you so so much for this comment. Please, feel free to get in touch through my website to talk about rite recordings/rite of spring in general. I myself have amassed over 410 recordings (and growing) and having donated my collection to the international Stravinsky foundation, I'm a contributor to that organization. So really, for me, rite of spring is an obsession and something I could talk about for days on end. Looking forward to hearing from you.

[@remomazzetti8757]

This is the most gut wrenching, angry performance I've ever heard of this iconic masterpiece, and it should be better known!

[@SoulStealerSlayers]

I adore this version. It creates such a state of primal fear and terror. I listened to this while doing some work around my apartment. Every time I turned my back from my phone and walked away, the amount of adrenaline from my fight/flight instincts kicking in was tenfold. I’ve never had such an experience with any other form of music. Absolutely remarkable! Thank you for managing to upload this. I believe Stravinsky would’ve been so proud of this performance!

[@OrqinusOrca]

I love Sacre a lot regardless, but this recording makes me feel like my finals are possible. Absolutely incredible, I'm so glad to have found this. Thank you for sharing this horrifying masterpiece!

[@echorrhea]

Superb reading. Love that old Eastern European wind and brass sound. Reminiscent of Ančerl with the Czech Philharmonic. There's a freshness and wildness to Wodiczko's reading that restores the raw in this music, a quality that tends to be air-brushed out in more recent recordings. Robert Craft, if I recall correctly, had high praise for Polish orchestras while he was on tour there with Stravinsky in 1962. This recording bears ample proof of the soundness of his judgment. Thank you for sharing. (By the way, unless my ears are mistaken, this recording sounds about a quarter tone sharp.)

[@Mezzotenor]

Nestor, your ears are probably fine. I was told that for a time some mainland European LPs were made to be played at the speed of 33 rpm (revolutions per minute), while the standard in the US and UK was 33-1/3 rpm, that is, thirty-three and one third. Apparently that tiny difference is sufficient to make a 33 rpm record sound higher in pitch when played at 33-1/3 . One music teacher I had in high school, a string player with impeccable perfect pitch, insisted on having an adjustable-speed turntable to make such corrections as needed, and if I'm not mistaken, such a device was available on mid- to high-end systems by the time many of us switched to CDs.

[@continentalgin]

The other interesting thing about Polish orchestras of this period... the emotional trauma of WWII was still evident, even 22 years after war's end. The Soviet occupation weighed heavily, too. So, the musicians could wring out some passion into these performances, which made them raw, fire stoked, and powerful. With this piece and performance here, primal is apparent and quite apropos. Good recording! Me likes!

[@forbiddenfursona]

yeah, the bassoon sounded a bit sharper than usual

[@dedede5586]

liked just for that opening bassoon solo, that bassoonist is incredible

[@nadezhdayotzova5318]

This is one hell of a recording you've savaged there! Most flabberasting is what they did with the Sacrifitial Dance. I cannot possibly call it "dirty" - quite on the contrary. It is extremely accurate with an iron rhythm, alive and breathing with unforgiving pulsation throughout. I'd like to point out the year of this recording - 1967. The following year started the students uprisings against the ruling totalitarian regime. This kind of unhappy background I know from my home country Bulgaria, which was also ruled by an authoritarian communist government.

[@melissaswartz3314]

I first listen to this piece thanks to Disney’s Fantasia, always been obsessed with it since I was 7 y/o. As an adult I stumbled upon Stravinsky and re-discovered this incredible piece. This piece in particular ignited my passion for classical music, I love how it conveys visceral emotion for the listener and performer. If I can ever travel back in time I am going to see the master himself conduct this piece.

[@p.terodactyl6848]

teacher: "i'm going to put on some quiet and calming classical music while we work independently" the classical music:

[@apothecurio]

5:18 onward is probably my favorite part of the whole rite. The way all the layers add up and go from beautiful to cacophonous but still twistedly pretty.

[@davidalbrecht6507]

Wow! I grew up with the Monteaux Boston version as my point of reference, and have heard more than a few recordings of the Rite, but this is a revelation. It's not rushed, as too many recordings are. Thank you!

[@danielpatterson3715]

Thanks for sharing this recording. Always enjoy hearing a new version of this piece. I never tire of it.

[@lachlanmccall1012]

Absolutely extraordinary. Demonic. Unique and dreamlike. The best Rite I’ve ever heard, by a mile.

[@henrygingercat]

An extraordinarily savage and visceral performance by far the best I've ever heard and never expect to hear bettered.

[@forbiddenfursona]

true

[@DieGroteske]

I have this album and I feel blessed to own this remarkable recording!

[@p.terodactyl6848]

OMG stop with the ads KZbin!!! I just want to listen to this awesome recording, I don't give a bleep about Aspen Dental right now!!!

[@kurtralske4026]

Listening to this beautifully visceral and vital performance -- it seems even more astonishing to me that Stravinsky created this work before either of the World Wars. I hear all the trauma of the 20th century here, but for Stravinsky in 1913, that was all in the future. Like his music.

[@barney6888]

You don't hear orchestras tip toeing on a high wire like this anymore. Spectacular.

[@guidepost42]

Its never the same twice. Much to Stravinsky's credit.

[@cheri238]

Stravinsky, this is one I haven't listened to. A genius he was!!!! "The Rite of Spring!" With the deepest appreciation and respect for uploading this.🎶🎵❤️

[@AfroPoli]

Hell yeah! This is savage to the max! I love it! Thanks for posting this gem!

[@Enirahtak8]

I'm going to admit it.... This is one of my favourite all-time pieces of classical music and... I think this might be one of, if not my favourite, recording. I'm basically not caring that's it's considered 'poor quality' compared to other recordings and I know it's not a recording but a particularly renowned and famous conductor, this recording has all of the personality, feeling and chaos that I love about the Rite of Spring. Love, love, LOVE IT. Thank you so, SO much for uploading this, in a way I'm sad to have only discovered this now.

[@glkx2]

Listen carefully - it is truly different. The instruments, the cords, the notes, the tempo. All minor differences but, for the trained ear, WOW!

[@Mezzotenor]

Yes, a gutsy interpretation, and interestingly, it achieves this without pushing the final section unnecessarily fast. I'm told that Polish musicians and composers were unlike others behind the Iron Curtain in that Poland's cultural authorities didn't suppress abstract 20th century music as was done in the Soviet Union. This would explain why this orchestra was confident in this music when most Russian ones weren't, and also why music written at the time of this recording by Pendericki, Lutoslawski and other compatriots was was admired by fans of the avant-garde here in the US and elsewhere.

[@TheArchDandy]

This is a really different version- I'm glad you rescued it! Feels like lost media/priceless treasure. I listen to any Rite of Spring recording- though at the moment my favorite is still the Yoel Levi recording with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. I'm always looking to see if there are others that have the similar volume, oomph and dissonance for the 'glorification' and the 'ritual action' movements. Most are too slow or low energy for me and don't quite hit that special something- sadly I don't have the background to search for/explain exactly what my ear needs. I might go through your 11 notes video again to try to find other likely recordings!

[@richardhughes2786]

Bohdan is bad-assed on this one. Thanks 4 sharing.

[@paulchristopher2135]

An aural assault, like being punched in the face, but in a good way.

[@Little_Lizard_Pirate]

Beautiful

[@AngelDucattiforever]

Even the jacket is awesome! Thanks

[@BlergleslinkVettermoo]

Very exciting rendition. Thanks for publishing this.

[@josealonso7924]

This is indeed a wonderfully strange, wicked, even troubling version! Awesome, thanks for sharing!

[@hanskovisser2549]

thank you, this is the fourth version i am listening to tonight. i m having a goooood time, here. thank you.

[@theopaopa1]

a great interpretation, thank you very much

[@lilyhogwart]

Thanks for sharing this utterly fabulous performance.

[@MarcoInchingolo83]

Great! Thank you very, very, very, very much!

[@amazingtoad7244]

This recording really brings out the runs and shows strsvinsky’s skill. Take 25:14, if u were given a blank manuscript and were forced to not only imagine but come up with this sound it would be an impossible task and yet stravindky pulls through

[@Tizohip]

Thanks for this.

[@wailinburnin]

Wow! Thank you for posting this, it’s super impactful to me, I’m totally captivated by the art of Rite especially since seeing the Centennial ballet video and b fore that, Fantasia was the 60s to me!

[@AlexAlexon3897]

☘🍀Stark beauty. Love the vinyl ambience. Thank you.🌺🌻

[@Caramuel]

excellent

[@MattBaker789]

Holy s#!t !!!!

[@fatovamingus]

Perfect. The wrecked vinyl is very humbling yes?

[@idageorg656]

That timpani part at 26:10 is very interesting. I've never heard it played like that.

[@zoehardee8636]

I love the rough timbre and the general sloppiness of this recording more than any modern recording, it's way more punk. I do think however that they actually go kinda soft on some of the heaviest parts, like for instance, they don't drop the beat at 29:23 as hard as I wish they would, that moment is supposed to be a jumpscare

[@henrygingercat]

Good grief, the more one listens the greater this performance becomes - has the passage from 7' 00" ever been equalled let alone surpassed?

[@bassnatan1]

Thank you mead1955! Better to write Recording and not Version. then people think It's a different Version of the Piece.

[@mead1955]

Thanks for the tip! I'll get that right now.

[@Tizohip]

very good

[@renooparmar4236]

genuine and unforgiving in its raw intrepretation of nature and how humans struggle with it

[@rudigersaul9943]

In der Tat eine ENTDECKUNG sondergleichen! Thanks!

[@benschroth7717]

Sweet.

[@EB-yx4fn]

oh good lord

[@jmwoods190]

It's nasty and dirty alright- just like it's supposed to be. And I like it!

[@alanbarker2659]

This recording is now available on CD if you track it down

[@continentalgin]

IMHO, the best ever version is Boulez/Cleveland 1969. Boulez strictly enforces the proper tempos, whilst the orchestra play flawlessly. That one shimmers with precision, which makes it a touch more scary!

[@GonzoRoss]

The 1969 Boulez and the 1959 Markevitch are tied for first place in my collection, which runs to about 75 recordings. The tam-tam is used to thrilling effect in the Markevitch recording

[@continentalgin]

@@GonzoRoss Yes! I couldn't agree more about the Markevitch. Right on.

[@JahNawl]

great version. great performance! the only thing "rare" about this: it's not on CD.

[@ivanzarate6725]

Thanks for this récord, for you What is the BEST récord or performance of this piece?

[@mead1955]

Really, I can't choose since I heard so many recordings of the piece and seen it live twice! But if I were given an ultimate choice, check out Esa-Pekka Salonen's 1989 recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra or Otmar Suitner's 1962 recording with the Dresden Staatskapelle (which has some of the best timpani playing ever recorded in the Danse Sacrale). Both underrated and amazing performances.

[@dvorakslavenskiples]

@@mead1955 my favourite version is with Otmar Suinter :D

[@blllsomm]

Это рай для моих красивых ушей

[@gamma68]

There is a tremendous amount of emotion in this recording, highlighted in part by the analog fidelity. Anyone know if it's available on compact disc? Or only on vintage LP?

[@fatovamingus]

I am certain my father had this. Also there was an Ozawa from Chicago so fast it could never be danced to.

[@mead1955]

I own over 210 recordings of 'Sacre' and I can tell you that the fastest 'Danse Sacrale' in my collection is the 1959 recording by Antal Doráti and the Minneapolis Symphony (now Minnesota Orchestra) which clocks in at 3:57, while Ozawa's version is 4:09. The slowest version I have is a 1991 recording with Eduardo Mata; Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which is 5:29. What's your favorite recording?

[@fatovamingus]

going solely on Danse Sacrale Ozawa here in '68 is 3:59 (thereabout) kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4ixk59_mdSoo8k the slowest I think is Allen Lewis with the Prague National on the blessed '87 Joffrey debut of Nijinsky's Le Sacre. It hurts to watch the Danse Sacrale. Favorite for me...must think.

[@fatovamingus]

HA! The Prague with Allen Lewis is slower than Mata. Can you believe that? I am no music theorist, dance history but the theory students are required to watch the ballet now...on my channel. It's amazing.

[@mead1955]

Nice. If you want a raw powerhouse performance, try the 1962 recording by Otmar Suitner and the Dresden Staatskapelle. Vastly underrated in my opinion, because everyone always talks about Boulez/Cleveland. Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqWwYpV8i7SnZskm50s

[@mead1955]

I've watched it in my class on your channel. Good stuff...left the entire class speechless.

[@wingflanagan]

Do you have the Vladimir Fedoseyev recording with - I believe - the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra? I had it on vinyl a long time ago. It was an MHS pressing. I no longer have it, and I have been looking for it for years. His reading is downright loopy. I don't know what he was on, but it must have been powerful. His tempos were all over the place (but appropriately so for his interpretation), with lots of verve and panache and - shall we say - _unique_ phrasing. Purists probably hated it, but I thought it was wonderful in a gonzo, mad genius sort of way.

[@fullmetalmagus8784]

@3:00 I can see how this caused a huge rucus when it premiered in Paris May 29th 1913 @5:00 I can see someone being flung off the balcony in disagreement.

[@devanhinskey9001]

It’s hard for me to listen to this without thinking about volcanoes and dinosaurs.

[@grandadmiralthrawn.gaming7355]

Heavy metal

[@rattusyu5905]

Hello does it say if this is the original or the revised version?

[@mead1955]

It doesn't indicate it on the jacket sleeve, but it's most likely the 1929 version (the score you can get from dover sells this version)

[@oscarmike1131]

Shouldn’t the first note from the bassoon be a C natural?

[@benjamin1032]

Mike K 448hz+

[@p.terodactyl6848]

It's an old recording that's slightly out of tune.

[@banaisbandiar4618]

3:42

[@dmjthetechguy]

Can you make flac files of the recording please?

[@Joshua27270]

At the 25:22 mark, this sample reminds me of the Beastie Boys music video 'Intergalactic'

[@billmunger9241]

Wodiczko "goes hard on this one! " Some brilliant moments I haven't heard in other performances. Other moments where Wodiczko wrongfully slips into atonality. Not a keeper. But worth a listen.

[@banaisbandiar4618]

28:19

[@clydeblair9622]

Exciting performance, but I don't understand the hubbub. Stravinsky and the Columbia are still my baseline.

[@banaisbandiar4618]

25:00

[@thepremiobatutaprizes9027]

¡Magnífico Bohdan Wodiczko! Gracias por compartir premiobatuta.com/milenio-del-gremio

[@ecoRfan]

Pretty slow performance and an old distorted recording, but must have sounded unbelievable in reality. Conductor gives it more time for the orchestra to hit even harder, making the piece more massive and powerful.

[@banaisbandiar4618]

26:05

[@Twentythousandlps]

A half-tone sharp!

[@Mezzotenor]

Because some European records were engraved 33 rpm, not 33-1/3 as in the US, and that makes a slight difference when you play it back at the higher speed.

[@p.terodactyl6848]

I think that is what makes this recording the best one. In my opinion, it adds to the dissonance and chaoticness that makes this piece what it is.

[@banaisbandiar4618]

15:52

[@banaisbandiar4618]

17:17

[@banaisbandiar4618]

35:36

[@jawadkazmi8856]

Clean up the PoPs!!! Will take time but this is why classical lovers were all over CDs😂❤ Had to leave

[@MCMeru]

28:50 Wtf was that? Sounds like some dude is singing there xD

[@p.terodactyl6848]

This piece reminds me of the soundtrack for Poltergeist (1982)

[@terrinauh350]

Butter and Chadder and Javk and Cheese and Cream and Jam and Oilvie and Cola Chocolate and Popsicle and Ice Cone and Tar and Whipping Cream and Pepper and Salt on Sandwiches🥪by Mr. Edwards Hyde and the Chernabog and Dragons and Hydra and Sally Finkelstein and Hitchhiker Ghosts and Hatbox Ghost and Darko the Sorcerer and Lady Morrígan Lee.🥪

[@ferociousgumby]

Snap, crackle, pop! Snap, crackle, pop! Sorry, I can't listen to this.

[@RepentInReprise]

Sponsored by Rice Krispies!

[@julianmatthews5785]

It’s an old recording. Not everything can be recorded in 32bit 96khz condenser mics...

[@doandadrestarahma5290]

It adds to the madness for me..

[@HassoBenSoba]

You lose.

[@banaisbandiar4618]

26:10

[@banaisbandiar4618]

25:54

[@banaisbandiar4618]

26:56

[@banaisbandiar4618]

25:21

[@banaisbandiar4618]

31:13