The Sacred Spring of Slavs

The primitivist aspect of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring was not, in itself, the source of its originality, and generally appropriations of Stravinsky's language by later composers has focused on technical devices, primarily rhythmic and tonal, rather than on the subject matter of the work. Ukrainian-born pianist Serhiy Salov here uncovers an unusual exception, the Hutsulian Watercolors of Ukrainian composer Ihor Shamo (1925-1972), which are clearly inspired by The Rite of Spring but are not necessarily Stravinskian. The ... Read More

The primitivist aspect of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring was not, in itself, the source of its originality, and generally appropriations of Stravinsky's language by later composers has focused on technical devices, primarily rhythmic and tonal, rather than on the subject matter of the work. Ukrainian-born pianist Serhiy Salov here uncovers an unusual exception, the Hutsulian Watercolors of Ukrainian composer Ihor Shamo (1925-1972), which are clearly inspired by The Rite of Spring but are not necessarily Stravinskian. The Hutsuls are one of the exotic ethnic groups of the Carpathian mountain region, and the music applies styles ranging from impressionistic to Bartókian in programmatically depicting scenes from their culture. The movement entitled "A Ritual Song for Spring" is actually among the least Stravinskian-sounding, and the chief featured borrowed from The Rite of Spring is the alternation between calm material associated with nature and violent music representing human barbarity. The view of... Read Less