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I am a huge fan of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps.
So here, I begin a topic on that extraordinary ballet. Hopefully this will cover all the topics associated with it, ranging from the composition, to the history, and the riot at the premiere.

Stravinsky's masterpiece, as far as I am concerned. I gained the most respect for the orchestra conductor at my school when I learned he conducted Sacre from memory. There's actually a nice two-piano reduction of it (recorded by Fazil Say, on both parts !) that I have a scan of, it might be PD.

Oh how I love thee, E-flat7/F-flat!

I have to admit i haven't ever listened to it properly, but what i have heard from it sounds very interesting, i won't say any more untill i've heard it properly.

Watch Disney's Fantasia.

Thanks for the pointer, i don't have the film, but the soundtrack is readily avalible to buy online. I've just listened all the way through, and have to say im not very keen, it's ok, but i'd pick rachmaninoff over that every time. It starts well, lovely tune, but fails to hold my interest for the length.

Stravinsky was furious over Disney's inclusion of his work in Fantasia. Part of it was because the work was PD in the USA from the day it was published due to his Russian citizenship (which meant he had no choice but to grant permission and likely received less in royalties than he would have been able to get otherwise), part of it due to the fact that Disney and Stokowski really cut up the score considerably for the soundtrack.

Though Strav may have been furious, he was happy when he was reviewing the drawings for the film (true? not true? Wikipedia...).
However, I do admit that all that cutting up made it sound considerably different, so I could probably understand why Strav was mad.
I recommend getting the real recordings, not the Fantasia ones.
That Sacrificial Dance is soo...(what's a better word for "great?")
Right now, I am listening to Strav conducting the Rite. It sounds pretty good...but the sacrifical dance is pretty messy. There are a lot of mess-ups too...(It's the Columbia Symphony)
Some good recordings are:
Boulez/Cleveland Orchestra
Boulez/LSO (DVD)
Gergiev/Kirov Orchestra
Maazel/Cleveland Orchestra

goldberg988 wrote:Stravinsky's masterpiece, as far as I am concerned. I gained the most respect for the orchestra conductor at my school when I learned he conducted Sacre from memory. There's actually a nice two-piano reduction of it (recorded by Fazil Say, on both parts !) that I have a scan of, it might be PD.

Oh how I love thee, E-flat7/F-flat!

OH MAN! There is already a 2 piano reduction???!!!!!
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You see, I've been working on one...oh well...heh heh
Wow! From memory??!!! That's a lot to memorize! So many time sig changes! My Youth Orchestra conductor (Scott Gregg, JSYO, http://www.jaxsymphony.org/jsyo) actually won a conducting contest by conducting that Danse Sacrale from memory...
The E-flat7/F-flat? Isn't that the Augurs of Spring chord?
What about the tone clusters in the Danse Sacrale?

kongming819 wrote:You see, I've been working on one...oh well...heh heh

Finish it and submit it to IMSLP

On a serious note, making piano reductions (either 1 or 2 pianos) is a great way to learn the internals of a piece, and I would think worthwhile for a piece such as the Sacre... if you have the time to spare that is. The reduction might be useful itself too

The problem is, I have been so busy, it's probably never going to finish. However, if it does, I will typeset it and upload!
That would be a great idea!
Indeed, it is a good way to learn the internals of a piece, especially one for such large orchestra!

Stravinsky made the 2 piano, 4 hands reduction himself. Dover has reprinted this (origially issued by Edition Russe in 1920 or so) sells it for a very reasonable price. Here's the link for the Amazon page:

http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Piano-Hand ... F8&s=books

The full score reprinted by Dover is an excellent one also - a reprint of the Soviet Muzika edition issued to coincide with Stravinsky's visit to the motherland in 1965 or thereabouts. It incorporates nearly all the changes and minor fixes he made up to that point. There are a few piano solo arrangements out there. I don't think the composer made one of his own, though.

Im pretty sure that there was a single piano reduction at some point, at the very least for rehearsals for the ballet itself, and im sure that i've heard that stravinsky himself played it while trying to convince the theater to put it on. How good/complete/playable this reduction was i have no idea, or if was ever published.

Strav made a one piano, 4 hand arrangement, not a two piano arrangement.
Yes there are two one piano arrangements. One is by Strav (for the rehearsals) but I haven't seen it. Another is by Vladimir Leyetchkiss (spelling?) which I do have and is terribly hard to play, because he has notes going everywhere between the two staves, complex tuplets (such as 3+3+2 against 5), fast chords, and complex runs...so it's hard to read...and I get impatient easily...

Carolus wrote:Stravinsky made the 2 piano, 4 hands reduction himself. Dover has reprinted this (origially issued by Edition Russe in 1920 or so) sells it for a very reasonable price. Here's the link for the Amazon page:

http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Piano-Hand ... F8&s=books

The full score reprinted by Dover is an excellent one also - a reprint of the Soviet Muzika edition issued to coincide with Stravinsky's visit to the motherland in 1965 or thereabouts. It incorporates nearly all the changes and minor fixes he made up to that point. There are a few piano solo arrangements out there. I don't think the composer made one of his own, though.

Yes I own that too.
I have:
Full score (Boosey & Hawkes)
Full score (Dover, original 1913, I don't think it has the revisions)
Stravinsky's own arrangement for 4 hands, 1 piano (Boosey & Hawkes)
1 Piano arrangement (Vladimir Leyetchkiss)
My 2 piano transcription

kongming819 wrote:The problem is, I have been so busy, it's probably never going to finish. However, if it does, I will typeset it and upload!
That would be a great idea!
Indeed, it is a good way to learn the internals of a piece, especially one for such large orchestra!

Actually, the typesetting will probably be the most problem for me...
and my handwriting is terrible...
so I have Finale PrintMusic 2006, which can't do ossias effectively or nested triplets or any other fancy stuff Le Sacre has to offer...