Lexington Philharmonic - Rite of Spring

LexPhil’s 2024/25 Season finale concert bursts forth into spring with Hector Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture followed by Wolf Totem, a bass concerto by Tan Dun, that will feature LexPhil’s Principal Bassist Rachel Martin as soloist. Named for the novel by Jiang Rong, the piece is thematically tied by one Chinese-style melody and inspired by the story of wolves and their importance in the ecosystem.

The concert reaches its climactic finale with Igor Stravinsky’s formidable work, The Rite of Spring, originally a ballet but performed most often as a stand alone orchestral tour de force. Stravinsky’s angular motifs and furious rhythmic writing exemplifies the pagan rituals depicted in the ballet. The haunting opening bassoon solo is a foreboding beginning to the tumultuous journey that unfolds. The Rite of Spring is a wildly electric apex to the season that deserves to be experienced.

Mélisse Brunet, conductor
Singletary Center for the Arts

HECTOR BERLIOZ - Roman Carnival Overture
RACHEL MARTIN - Wolf Totem
IGOR STRAVINSKY - The Rite of Spring