The Rite of Spring and Estancia with Dudamel

Although many of the stories about the explosion that began 20th-century music may be apocryphal, "The Rite of Spring" most assuredly debuted under stressful circumstances. The music, the choreography, the audience, the dancers, the subject matter—controversies abounded. But the young Stravinsky had nailed what was going to take unprecedented priority in music: rhythm. The suite from Alberto Ginastera’s ballet "Estancia" has become an international hit, but the complete work is rarely performed. Its story, spanning a single day, tells of a city boy who falls for a rancher’s daughter, set against the landscape of Argentina’s disappearing gaucho culture. Opening the evening is a world premiere by Argentine composer Alex Nante, commissioned as part of the Pan-American Music Initiative.