Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D., maintains a Rockville, Maryland, psychology practice that addresses a range of interrelated issues, from anxiety to couple's issues. For his own relaxation and release of stress Dr. Ben-Ami cherishes Classical music. He has a particular passion an affinity for composers like Felix Mendelssohn and Igor Stravinsky.
One of Stravinsky’s most impactful works was The Rite of Spring. The ballet debuted in May 1913 in a newly opened Théâtre des Champs-Élysées that offered innovative open-plan seating.
As noted in a Guardian article, the seating arrangement was of importance because a riot ensued when people witnessed a ballet that willfully broke with the past. That break was so esoteric and compelling that Stravinsky claimed the ballet had “virtually no tradition behind it.”
Lacking formal training in music, the young Stravinsky had composed a work with a processional, ritual quality and “harsh brutalism” that is seen today as reflecting a strand of Russian folklore with roots in the late 19th century.
This unorthodox composition has emerged as one of the defining works of the 20th century, and its impact is found in the work of bop artists of the 1940s and pop artists of the 1980s and beyond. Perhaps one of the most memorable interpretations was the 1940 Disney classical-music animation Fantasia, which envisioned The Rite of Spring as an elemental battle between dinosaurs.
One of Stravinsky’s most impactful works was The Rite of Spring. The ballet debuted in May 1913 in a newly opened Théâtre des Champs-Élysées that offered innovative open-plan seating.
As noted in a Guardian article, the seating arrangement was of importance because a riot ensued when people witnessed a ballet that willfully broke with the past. That break was so esoteric and compelling that Stravinsky claimed the ballet had “virtually no tradition behind it.”
Lacking formal training in music, the young Stravinsky had composed a work with a processional, ritual quality and “harsh brutalism” that is seen today as reflecting a strand of Russian folklore with roots in the late 19th century.
This unorthodox composition has emerged as one of the defining works of the 20th century, and its impact is found in the work of bop artists of the 1940s and pop artists of the 1980s and beyond. Perhaps one of the most memorable interpretations was the 1940 Disney classical-music animation Fantasia, which envisioned The Rite of Spring as an elemental battle between dinosaurs.
