Vasily Petrenko Conducts The Rite of Spring

Paris in the early 20th century was a cultural explosion of art, literature and music – and on stage the Ballet Russes was entirely reinventing the artform.

Most revolutionary of all was The Rite of Spring, and Stravinsky’s masterpiece still thrills as a work of astonishing intensity that feels both primal and strikingly modern.

From its compelling rhythmic drive to its stunning, awesome soundworld, The Rite continues to electrify more than a century after its premiere. And Vasily Petrenko, the celebrated music director of the Royal Philharmonic, is the work’s ideal interpreter. BBC Music Magazine hailed his recent recording of it as ‘a searing account’ with ‘a visceral energy’ – now it’s Sydney’s turn to hear his phenomenal realisation of Stravinsky’s mesmerising score.

In a concert full of drama and striking orchestral textures, Camille Saint-Saëns’ First Cello Concerto casts the cellist as our hero. German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser is a noted interpreter of this work, his recording praised by Gramophone for its ‘overwhelming passion’. Performed on his 1694 Andrea Guarneri, you will hear why it is among the greatest of all cello concertos.