The Rite of Spring, a ballet and orchestral concert work by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, is often considered one of the greatest works of art in the twentieth century. The premiere of Stravinsky’s ballet, Le Sacre du Printemps, on May 29, 1913, in Paris, was one of the most famous scandals in the history of the arts. The audience, who were notoriously booed, hissed, and even threw objects at the orchestra, were left to wonder what they were experiencing.
The Rite of Spring, both the music and dance, are known for their ugly, harsh, and challenging nature. The extreme reaction of the audience reinforces its reputation as one of the greatest works of art in the twentieth century. The riot at the premiere of Stravinsky’s ballet, which descended into riot, is one of the most famous scandals in the history of the arts.
The Rite of Spring’s importance comes from its now-legendary, apparently riot-inducing opening night at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris on May 29th. Even well-informed members of the audience had no idea what they were experiencing at the first performance of the ballet. This blog post explores Stravinsky’s groundbreaking ballet and its seminal place in music history, while picking out some of its best recordings. Now, more than a century later, audiences enjoy the Rite without coming close to blows.
In conclusion, the Rite of Spring is a groundbreaking ballet and orchestral concert work that has had a lasting impact on the history of music. Its unique blend of music, dance, and audience reactions has made it a beloved work of art.
📹 Episode 10: The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky
It doesn’t get more radical than this – Igor Stravinsky’s groundbreaking ballet and the story of that “Riot at the Rite”!
What are three reasons the audience so upset by Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring?
Stravinsky believed that the crowd, who had seen the Sacre du Printemps, were upset by the dissonance in the score, dancers’ movements, and the woodwind section’s rapid sounds. The storm broke when the curtain opened, and the composer reacted by saying “go to hell” to the naive and stupid people. Contrary to popular belief, the riot was likely not due to the shock of the music, exotic choreography, or Roerich’s bizarre settings, but rather by anti-Russian, anti-Diaghilev, and anti-Nijinsky factions in Paris who were determined to disrupt proceedings before music was heard.
How did the audience react to The Rite of Spring?
The opening notes of a ballet sparked a ruckus in the auditorium due to the high-pitched bassoon solo. The audience’s wild shouting made it difficult to hear the music. Stravinsky panicked and ran backstage, but chaos ensued. Diaghilev had expected a ruckus, but he instructed the conductor, Pierre Monteux, to keep going despite the chaos. The performance continued, and Stravinsky and Nijinsky were unaware of the chaos. The performance was a testament to the power of music and the power of imagination.
Is Rite of Spring good?
“The Rite of Spring” is a masterpiece in twentieth-century orchestration, known for its catchy and memorable nature. However, it is a challenging piece to play, with the first recording to achieve the desired effect coming from Pierre Boulez with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1969. The piece was considered impossible to play precisely as written before. The composer also enjoys matching music to the season and weather, such as jazz, which can transform “depressing” weather into “atmospheric” ones. “Spring” from Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” might match the spring weather in Georgia, but in South Bend, where it’s snowy, hails, and winds, “The Rite of Spring” is more suitable.
Why is The Rite of Spring so famous?
The Rite of Spring, a 20th-century ballet, is considered one of the most influential works of the 20th century. Its score is the world’s first modernist orchestral work and is one of the most recorded works in the classical repertoire. Over 190 reconstructions and derivations have been mounted on professional stages worldwide, including South African choreographer Dada Masilo’s The Sacrifice, which will be on view at Spoleto Festival USA from June 1 to 4.
The Ballets Russes, founded by impresario Diaghilev in 1909, aimed to introduce Russian artists like Stravinsky, Leon Bakst, Michel Fokine, and Rimsky-Korsakov to the Western world. The Rite of Spring was a collaboration between composer Stravinsky, visual artist Nicholas Roerich, and choreographer Nijinsky, celebrating the advent of spring and its darker plot of ritual sacrifice. The ballet received five performances in Paris and four in London before closing due to World War I, a falling out between Nijinsky and Diaghilev, and Nijinsky’s declining mental health.
Why did people not like Rite of Spring?
The Rite of Spring, a ballet by Igor Stravinsky, was a major cultural event in Paris in 1913. The ballet, which depicts ritual sacrifice in prehistoric Russia, was a hit with Parisians drawn to the Eastern exoticism of previous productions, such as Firebird and Petrushka. The music was often deliberately harsh, with cacophonous loud sounds and thunderous percussion and shrieking brass. The Ballets Russes, or “Russian Ballet”, was a hot ticket, as Parisians were drawn to the Eastern exoticism of previous productions.
The choreographer, Vaslav Nijinsky, was known for his shocking and often risqué choreography, such as his 1912 performance of Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune. The audience was shocked by the riot at the premiere of Stravinsky’s work.
Is Rite of Spring Pagan?
Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” is a piece that explores pagan rituals and culminates in the sacrifice of a young woman to appease the gods of spring. The piece, premiered in Paris, was a shock to the audience and sparked a riot due to its dissonant score and unusual dance choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky of the Ballets Russes. The piece changed the course of music history. Dakin and her students analyze the artistic expression and elements of ritual in the original “Rite of Spring” and three subsequent versions by Pina Bausch, Martha Graham, and Jaime Blanc.
They draw on literature from performance studies, mythology, and anthropology, as well as film and choreography notes to explore the relationship between art, ritual, and human nature. Dakin chose four “Rites” that have a strong relationship to ritual, providing opportunities for discussion of artistic purpose and meaning.
Did Rite of Spring actually cause a riot?
The Rite of Spring is a ballet and orchestral concert work by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, written for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes company in 1913. The avant-garde nature of the music and choreography caused a sensation when first performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 29 May 1913. The music achieved equal or greater recognition as a concert piece and is widely considered one of the most influential musical works of the 20th century.
Stravinsky was a young, virtually unknown composer when Diaghilev recruited him to create works for the Ballets Russes. The concept behind The Rite of Spring, developed by Nicholas Roerich from Stravinsky’s outline idea, is suggested by its subtitle, “Pictures of Pagan Russia in Two Parts”. The scenario depicts primitive rituals celebrating the advent of spring, after which a young girl is chosen as a sacrificial victim and dances herself to death.
The ballet was not performed again until the 1920s, when a version choreographed by Léonide Massine replaced Nijinsky’s original, which saw only eight performances. Massine’s production was the forerunner of many innovative productions directed by the world’s leading choreographers, gaining work worldwide acceptance. In the 1980s, Nijinsky’s original choreography was reconstructed by the Joffrey Ballet in Los Angeles. Stravinsky’s score contains many novel features for its time, including experiments in tonality, metre, rhythm, stress, and dissonance.
What did the opening night audience find so shocking and upsetting about Rite of Spring?
The unconventional musical style, hitherto unperformed in public, provoked a strong emotional response in the audience, evoking feelings of rage, shame, and disgust. These were a result of the piece’s rapid tempo, unsavoury choreography, and demonic overtones, which culminated in vocal expressions of disquiet and physical gestures of disapproval.
Is The Rite of Spring Russian?
The Rite of Spring, a ballet by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, premiered in Paris on May 29, 1913, and is considered one of the first examples of Modernism in music. The piece is known for its brutality, barbaric rhythms, and dissonance, with its opening performance being one of the most scandalous in history. The piece was commissioned by Serge Diaghilev, the impresario of the Ballets Russes, and developed by Stravinsky with the help of artist and mystic Nicholas Roerich.
The production was choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, and its sets and costumes were designed by Roerich. The Rite of Spring, inspired by Russian culture, challenged the audience with its chaotic percussive momentum, making it a startlingly modern work.
What was unusual about The Rite of Spring?
The Rite of Spring, a ballet by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, premiered in Paris on May 29, 1913, and is considered one of the first examples of Modernism in music. The piece is known for its brutality, barbaric rhythms, and dissonance, with its opening performance being one of the most scandalous in history. The piece was commissioned by Serge Diaghilev, the impresario of the Ballets Russes, and developed by Stravinsky with the help of artist and mystic Nicholas Roerich.
The production was choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, and its sets and costumes were designed by Roerich. The Rite of Spring, inspired by Russian culture, challenged the audience with its chaotic percussive momentum, making it a startlingly modern work.
Why was The Rite of Spring a scandal?
The performance is generally regarded as having incited a riot, either in terms of physical action or social unrest, with some sources indicating that the audience responded with expressions of disapproval and ridicule.
📹 The ballet that incited a riot – Iseult Gillespie
Dive into the history and controversy of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, “The Rite of Spring,” which shattered the conventions of classical …
You missed my favorite part about the circle dance! It’s chaotic and difficult to follow for a reason: the girls are all trying their best to follow along, and the first to mess up the dance twice (I think it’s twice) is the one who gets sacrificed. As you watch, you can see some of them stumble or get out of time for a moment. It’s actually written into the choreography. So when the sacrificial dancer is chosen, she’s chosen because she messed up for the last time.
I imagine some of that audience that night in Paris read the title “The Rite of Spring” and thought they’d be getting a lovely little confection of graceful nymphs in gauzy tutus and crowns of flowers…and what they got was a stark, brutal depiction of ancient Russian life with harsh, jagged rhythms and ungraceful choreography, culminating in a human sacrifice. At least the work’s come to be appreciated for the ahead-of-its-time masterpiece it is, but given what the audience was used to, and probably expected, I can see where they’d be rattled…
Props to the dancers for continuing on in the face of such a disrespectful and rambunctious audience. Props to the orchestra as well obviously, but I can’t imagine how intimidating and rather frightening an upset audience would be to those on the stage. These dancers were committed and I applaud them.
This analysis explains why Disney made this song take place during the extinction of the dinosaurs. Primitiveness, violence, subtlety, death and rebirth. The artistic director for that number really got that feeling from this piece. I personally can’t unsee the dinosaurs fighting when I hear it because it’s just so iconic and works perfectly.
I have mostly Lithuanian heritage, and Rite of Spring has always been one of my favorite music pieces ever. Finding out that the melodies were inspired by Lithuanian folk music brings me an immense joy! No wonder I’ve always felt such strong love for this music, its like my ancestral roots calling out to me <3
It’s nice to know that Debussy and Ravel loved the work! Now I wonder what Richard Strauss thought of the piece. As the previous leader of the avant-garde on the more expressionist side of things (Elektra was released only 4 years before the Rite). I remember that Salome, even earlier, had a lot of interesting use of rhythm for example.
The rite of spring is the piece that took me the longest time to appreciate, i listened to it first at 12, couldn’t understand a thing, but i liked the title of the piece and i kept hearing praises abt it that made me keep coming back and try. About 15 years later, it became one of my favourite piece ever and every single notes seem to make perfect sense. Thanks for the great article which helps me appreciate it even more.
so, end credits show Suzanne Matharan as animator. Genius!! I love this woman and will hail her work to all I know! She has an understanding that all else fall short of. So wonderful to discover that there is still hope for the human mind!!! honestly, I haven’t seen genius animation like this since Robert McKimson’s wartime work. I take my hat off to you, totally.
That was really great! I know this music well as I consider it the finest example of orchestral music in 20th century. But I had never seen or known anything about the ballet for which it was written. A quantum leap in appreciating what Stravinsky did in coordination with the others on the production. Very bold undertaking.
This is such a fantastic way to learn about these classical pieces. I love how it plays in the background as we learn the history, and the animations are so wonderfully unique and memorable, it really helps with differentiating the characters and making sense of the events! Also, having the captions be available and written out manually is something I appreciate. I was able to watch this and take notes in an environment where I couldn’t use sound, thanks to those!
Ballets before The Rite Spring: Firebird- Halloween Ballet with Choreography by Michel Fokine and Designs by Alexander Golovin & Leon Bakst, Lead Star: Tamara Karsarvena Petrushka (1911, Revised 1947)- Easter Ballet with Choreography by Michel Fokine and designs by Alexandre Benois, Lead Star: Valsav Nijinsky, counterpart to Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana
This was a brilliant description of a seminal moment in western history which signalled the end of “la belle epoch” or “golden age”…a lingering on of the 19th century…and the transition into the modern age. That shift had begun a year earlier with the sinking of the Titanic which demonstrated the limitations to the idea of “progress”. It was followed a year later in 1914, with the outbreak of The Great War, which truly put an end to the 19th century’s noble conceit about war and “civilization”.
Fun Fact: During the production of Fantasia, as we know this piece was included but to take into account the running time of the movie they reduced it from the Original 35 minutes, orchestral crash,DEAD chord and all that, it was ultimately shortened to 25 minutes without Stravinsky’s permission therefore he wasn’t the biggest fan of Fantasia for that. Perhaps he is the First Star Wars fan(cuz they get mad over the smallest of changes)
my favorite part about the whole piece and ballet has got to be the dance of death. it’s specifically choreographed (or, from what i’ve seen from the 87 joffrey ballet reconstruction), so that the chosen one is terrified and for the audience to realize that they’re perusal someone’s death right in front of their eyes. the wide-eyed stare, shivering and hopeless escape attempts of the chosen one is definitely an amazing detail to look into when you’re perusal the dance of death. also, imagine the shock and terrifying reality when you fell once out of the circle, everyone looks at you, you fall again, everyone then pushes you inside and makes you the sacrificial lamb.
My first exposure to this piece ( like many, I’d guess) is from Fantasia, by Walt Disney, released in the late 60’s and I was in grade school. The visuals, the evolution of life on earth up till the dinosaurs, was as awesome as the music. Had no idea of the back story and ballet concept that went with it, till now. AMAZING, want to find a dance AND musical performance of this, thank you.
Very enjoyable presentation! I was only half surprised that mention of Petrushka didn’t make the final cut. One thing that wasn’t mentioned that maybe should have been: the main cause of the “riot” was Nijinsky’s choreography. He had previously scandalized audiences with a depiction of masturbation at the end of “Afternoon of a Faun” and wasn’t shy about using odd gestures and pelvic thrusts and the like. Stravinsky described the dancers as row of “knock-kneed and long-braided Lolitas jumping up and down.” Others there at the time corroborate (e.g., conductor Pierre Monteux’s autobiography). Add to that a contingent of students at the performance (I was told, I don’t have an attribution to back this up), and a fair bit of hooting and howling is to be expected, perhaps? But the premiere makes a much better story as a “musical” scandal, and it’s the latter version that continues spark people’s imagination.
the first time i heard this piece, i thought it was just toooo out there. it was just too dissonant for me to appreciate…….especially after learning about Beethoven. but years later, i’ve learned to love Stravinsky’s music, and recognize his influence on subsequent composers; especially movie composers.
I heard a story that Stravinsky was walking into a music conservatory- I believe it might even have been the one I attended as an undergrad, and when Stravinsky walked in, a bunch of bassoonists had parked in the practice rooms by the entrance to the school so Stravinsky couldn’t help but hear them all blaring away the “Rite” opening as he entered. Stravinsky apparently turned to one of his handlers/entourage and said something like “if I knew it could sound that beautiful I’d have written it even more difficult and more shrill.”
Brilliantly executed! I remember hearing the Rite of Spring for the first time when I was 18 years old. I shouted, “That is NOT music!” When my son heard it for the first time his reaction was pretty much the same. He didn’t like the piece until he watched a live performance on TV. Once he understood what was happening in the orchestra, he came to appreciate the sheer genius of the composer. Now the Rite of Spring is one of his favorite pieces of music. As it is mine.
Thank you for this in-depth analysis. I knew of the infamous premiere, but I was only recently introduced to the work itself and it’s now one of my favorite ballets/pieces of music ever. Kinda makes me wish I continued my own ballet lessons so I could dance to it! Edit: Although I did dance one year to “Riders of Rohan” from LOTR so, close enough I guess!
I remember my Dad saying that Stravinsky spent all his creative energy on the early ballets: Firebird, Petrushka, and especially The Rite of Spring. Afterwards, he ran out of genuinely innovative ideas and was reduced to neo-classicism and plagerising Mozart. He also said The Rite of Spring, along with Piccaso’s Cubist paintings and Joyce’s “Finnigan’s Wake” were the Holy Trinity of 20th century modernism. After more than 50 years, I think I see his point.
The first time I heard Rite of Spring was when I was a uni student and was hanging out and drinking at an Irish pub with a bunch of opera students. One of them gave me a tab of acid, then invited me back to their house where they played this amazing piece of music while I hallucinated… 😅. Without knowing anything about the story of the ballet, I saw pulsating, ullulating, overwhelming visions of nature like in William Blake’s drawings. I had never heard music like it. It was simply amazing. We also listened to musique concrete and opera (though I can’t remember which one). After some time, I had passed out. When I came to, I snuck out quietly. I never saw them again. But Rite of Spring remains one of my favourite pieces of all time.
I need someone to translate the Russian graffiti at 1:10 .. All I can make out is “Privyet” (Hello) and “something something Stravinsky” Thanks for the article, “Rite of Spring” is one of my favorite classical works, ever since I saw “Fantasia” as a kid. Could you do a future article about Shostakovich’s 5th, 7th, or 9th?
LAWD! You folks have struck a nerve that literally inspired a tear or two. Of all the works you cover, this is one that I actually already knew a whole lot about… I don’t know where or how I discovered the Rite, but I have long loved it and even had an opportunity to experience it live on campus while working on my undergrad (VERITAS)… during that show, I was introduced to and fell in love with Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. I really do love the work you folks do… appreciate your effort, intellect, and accessibility… THANK YOU! I sincerely want you all to make it big! Expect a small (I haven’t made it big yet, so I do mean small) financial consideration from me in the coming days. ✊🏾👏🏾❤️
Amazing, educational, and so well presented. Your website deserves so many more views and subscribers – I too have a music related website sitting at a similar amount of subscribers as you, but which reviews music. I see how much work which goes into the animations, the way everything is explained using musical terminology which is so easily accessible, you deserve so much more- absolutely underrated and keep up the good work!
this piece… I think it’s one of the most interesting pieces I have ever heard in my life. the explanation behind is made it so much more understandable. Stravinsky achieved such originality with how he decided to let go of all the tradition and honestly, as weird and haunting as this piece might seem like, it opens your mind to all new possibilities. thank you for the most amazing explanation article about it. it is wonderful.
Neither Nijinsky nor Stravinsky were really happy with the original choreography of the ballet. And I understand why, it’s not awkward enough to really be special. I would love the Russian Igor Moiseyev Ballet Compagnie to try a new choreo for Rite of Spring, I think they are the only company in the world who could so justice to it. Check out their „Night on bald mountain”, especially part 2, the „Witches Sabbath”, and you know what I mean.
Thank you for the explanation; even with some other synopses, what was happening was not clear, particularly with sage-in-chief. Were there any real-life rituals that served as basis, or was it imagination running amok? I enjoyed the expressions of the dancers who were not chosen. Phew! I’m not the one. I also read some other comments that reports of a riot were planted to draw interest, and the opening night truly was not so violent.
That it was the MODERNITY and SOPHISTICATION of the piece that shocked the audience. And it was they, the beau-monde of Paris who considered themselves so thoroughly civilized, so tolerantly modern — who in fact became the savage barbarians. – I think this is the most beautiful thing said about the rite I’ve come across my entire research paper about the choreo. Thank you so much 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Among the pieces in Disney’s Fantasia, this has always been the most difficult for me. When I was a kid, I adored the dinosaurs, but I found the slow march through the desert unbearably boring. It was only years later that I started appreciating it. Still it is not among my favourite pieces but there undoubtedly several moments of sheer magic, mystery and fascination.
If you ever want to see something interesting, look for the score online,you don’t really have to read music to appreciate how complex it is, you have him using meters no one else does and they change every couple of measures. You almost have to memorize this when playing it so you can follow the conductor, it is that difficult. Bassoonists curse the opening, it is in almost every orchestra audition excerpt for them. Some have put words to them ‘ I am not an english horn, this is too f*** hard’ to the opening solo lol
A comment on another Stravinsky YT vid said that RtOfSpr is a “marionette ballet”, that the dancers all imitate the jerky angles and swinging of puppets on strings. Boy: you get the feeling that this first night audience didn’t bother reading their programs. They just heard the word “ballet” and turned their damned brains off.😊
You know what, good on Saint-Saëns for leaving when he’d had enough instead of going apeshit; that was a mature response in my book—so long as he didn’t cause a ruckus that I don’t know about. While I love the irony that the moneyed Parisians were the ones really acting like savages, I’m pissed that they did so at the expense of the dancers and orchestra.
Nice commentary on “The Rite of Spring”. Apparently, Disney’s visual interpretation of the music bore no resemblance to the interpretation of Stravinsky and his choreographer — with one possible exception that I can’t recall now. Nevertheless, the visuals fit, from the travel through space through the volcanic earth, the formation of life, the doomed dinosaurs (Science has marched on about that.) ending with the symbolic earthquake. Granted, Disney’s visuals probably demolished the original ideas in the vast majority of listeners.
the most Ravel thing ever: GENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUSGENIUS
I just happened on this article about one of my favourite composers and composition…well the most favourite really. Aloha from Hawai’i. I saw Igor Stravinsky in the late 60s at the Honolulu Symphony Hall on King Street. He conducted the Firebird…I thought very slowly…but what did I know I was in my teens. A lot more to it but Mahalo (Thank you) for the enjoyable article of a piece of music that is always with me…
In my humble opinion this is the seminal work of the 20th century. The best recordings are Claudio Abbaddo with the LSO ( but only on vinyl as the digital transcriptions are abysmal) and Jaap van Zweede. Honourable mention to Herb von K; but many recordings are good but please avoid Michael Tilson Thomas – no understanding of the energy required. The animations and storyline are well on point – must subscribe.
There is a lot of myth about the Rite of Spring. The famous riot was likely staged by Diagialev as a pr stunt,and it worked, the ballet was sold out. The real reaction was to the ballet itself ( I have seen a performance of the original ballet, pretty clunky and hideous),some thought it was too licentious. Like I said the ballet sold out and there was no rioting, only cheers. The ballet itself has kind of fallen into obscurity, the piece itself within 10 yrs was standard repertoire and has remained that way with orchestras. Funny part is the proponents of 12 tone and atonal music that prob did more to hurt classical music than anything else, use the rite as an example of audiences having to learn to appreciate new music. Problem is 12 tone is like 110 yrs old and most ppl still hate it, and in classical music it is the one form where audiences dread new pieces, they have to put them in the first half so audiences don’t walk out at intermission. Stravinsky created something new that appealed to the emotions, it wasn’t a technical exercise.
The Firebird had Mythology and Heroism worthy of any Halloween playlist, and Petrushka had a pre-lent setting (Maslenitsa) with a title charcter who is slain and then ressurects (thus belonging in the Easter playlist), both of these dramas were choreographed by Michel Fokine. The Rite of Spring does not have any of this.
However, it should be noted that Stravinsky’s image of an avant-garde leader didn’t last long; when atonal music emerged, Stravinsky was accused of being “reactionary” and conformist!! Imagine that! One who was particularly aggressive in accusing and labeling as useless anybody and everybody who wasn’t part of the ‘atonal pack’ was Pierre Boulez. The pressure of the peers was so great that almost everybody conformed to the new trends in order not to be ostracized! Even Bernstein succumbed and had his atonal fase! And do you know who else? Why, of course, or hero Igor, too. In the end he got more than he bargained for and got to try some of his own medicine! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Well…yes and no. There is some pretty convincing evidence that the reason Diaghilev wasn’t surprised by the riot is because he planned it and hired people to start it. His plan worked, for only the cost of hiring the writers and cleaning the theatre, he got the Rite of Spring on the front page of newspapers worldwide. After the famous riot, the ballet had several showings that had nary a hint of riot, but thanks to the publicity they were quite well attended. Stravinsky was an amazing composer, but Diaghilev’s shady business practices are what made Stravinsky an overnight sensation, and thus Firebird, Rite of Spring, and Petrushka were massive successes while his other works that were not promoted by Diaghilev never reached the same levels of hype. That was perfectly fine though, because he made enough off of those three ballets to write whatever he wanted without having to worry about finances, and unlike Rossini, he did. Life goals for a composer.
A fact: during the Rite of Spring rehearsals there was this one clarinettist who on a passage that was mezzopiano he would play mezzoforte. Stravinskij obviously noticed and said: “Sir, it’s mezzopiano, please”. The clarinettist did not listen for another 2 times and the 3rd time he played mezzoforte Stravinskij stopped and went: “Sorry, are you a composer? If so give me a reason why you think mezzoforte sounds better here” The clarinettist said he wasn’t and was formally shut up