London Philharmonic Orchestra: The Rite of Spring

Paris, 1913: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring changes the course of modern music. It wasn’t just that a riot broke out at the premiere: the rhythmic power and primal energy of Stravinsky’s volcanic score are so ferocious that a century later, we’re still dealing with the aftershock. With Juanjo Mena conducting, this should be electrifying. Benedetto Lupo, meanwhile, is the soloist in the dark, defiant Piano Concerto that Ravel wrote for a pianist who lost an arm in the Great War. This is music at its most uncompromising; and in its quieter way, Debussy’s sensuous Printemps is every bit as subversive.