The Rite of Spring is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the
Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris
season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company, with choreography
by Vaslav Nijinsky and stage designs and costumes (pictured) by Nicholas
Roerich. The ballet caused a near-riot in the audience when first
performed, on 29 May 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in
Paris, but rapidly achieved success, and later became recognised as one
of the most influential musical works of the 20th century. The score has
many novel features, including experiments in tonality, metre, rhythm,
stress and dissonance. The scenario is the celebration of spring by
various primitive rituals, at the end of which a sacrificial victim
dances herself to death. After its explosive premiere the ballet was not
performed until the 1920s, when Léonide Massine's rechoreographed
version was the first of many innovative productions directed by the
world's leading choreographers. Providing "endless stimulation for
performers and listeners" alike, The Rite is among the most recorded
works in the classical repertoire.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rite_of_Spring>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1808:
John Jacob Astor founded the American Fur Company, the profits
from which made him the first multi-millionaire in the United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jacob_Astor>
1896:
The first modern Olympic Games (cover of official report shown)
opened in Athens, with athletes from 14 nations participating in 43
events.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics>
1941:
World War II: German forces invaded Greece, beginning
Operation Marita.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Greece>
2009:
Mass protests began across Moldova against the results of the
parliamentary election.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_2009_Moldovan_parliamentary_election_protests>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
wieldy:
1. (obsolete except Britain, dialectal) Able to wield one's body well;
active, dexterous.
2. Capable of being easily wielded or managed; handy.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wieldy>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
This habit of forming opinions, and acting upon them without
evidence, is one of the most immoral habits of the mind. ... As our
opinions are the fathers of our actions, to be indifferent about the
evidence of our opinions is to be indifferent about the consequences of
our actions. But the consequences of our actions are the good and evil
of our fellow-creatures. The habit of the neglect of evidence,
therefore, is the habit of disregarding the good and evil of our fellow-
creatures.
--James Mill
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Mill>
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