Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps – Nelsons, Gewandhausorchester

When Andris Nelsons made his debut with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig in 2011, the conductor and the orchestra are said to have felt a magical connection, which only a few years later resulted in his appointment as the 21st principal conductor of the world-renowned orchestra, beginning in 2018. In 2016, one of his concerts with the Gewandhausorchester featured three works by three composers, each of whom revolutionized the musical traditions of their times. Anton Webern, a disciple of Arnold Schoenberg, is known for his twelve-tone music and the conciseness of his works – “diamonds” as Igor Stravinsky once called them. Richard Wagner‘s love to Mathilde Wesendonck not only inspired him to his breathtaking “Tristan” sounds but also to the “Wesendonck- Lieder”, which are a musical love letter to his muse. And Igor Stravinsky‘s “Le Sacre du Printemps“ was so unlike everything composed before that the premiere of the ballet, for which the music was written, ended in public outrage and had to be stopped by the Parisian police.