The Rite of Spring
"Teddy Abrams leads bold music with racing rhythms and blasts of brass"
Teddy Abrams leads the LA Phil in Stravinsky's innovative and ferocious ballet score, The Rite of Spring, which helped set the stage for 20th century music, alongside the composer's striking Violin Concerto, originally sketched on a napkin.
Leila Josefowicz brings spontaneity and joy to the concerto, playing "with brightness, mystery, eagerness—whatever the music called for," according to a 2018 New York Times review.
The evening begins with Stravinsky's World War II arrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner," which the composer described as his "desire to do my bit in these grievous times toward fostering and preserving the spirit of patriotism in this country."