Fireworks
The Rite of Spring
© 2004 Fireworks Music (783707847320)
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A new music group, Fireworks looks and sounds like a rock band, but performs with the virtuosity and sensitivity of a classical chamber music ensemble.
tracks
- 1 Part I: The Adoration of the Earth - Introduction
- 2 The Augurs of Spring (Dances of the Young Girls)
- 3 Game of Abduction
- 4 Spring Rounds
- 5 Games of the Rival Tribes
- 6 Procession of the Wise Elder
- 7 Kiss of the Earth
- 8 Dance of the Earth
- 9 Part II: The Sacrifice - Introduction
- 10 Mystic Circles of the Young Girls
- 11 Glorification of the Chosen One
- 12 Summoning of the Ancestors
- 13 Ritual of the Ancestors
- 14 Sacrificial Dance
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"This may be the hottest new classical band in New York. Call it what you will, their performances are astute and extremely entertaining... I have never seen happier performers and a more relaxed and receptive audience... Run, don't walk, to their next performance and buy their CDs too. This eclectic ensemble of flute, sax, violin, cello, bass, guitar, percussion, and keys is magic. The experience is ecstatic."
- Mark Greenfest, New Music Connoisseur
This arrangement of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring for Fireworks is breath-taking. Never has the Rite been played with such edge and verve. The group's daring conductorless performance of the work continues to wow audiences everywhere, and remains the ensemble's most requested and most popular work.
Fireworks looks and sounds like a rock band, but performs with the virtuosity and sensitivity of a classical chamber music ensemble.
Embracing the richness of today's diverse musical environment, Fireworks moves freely across categorical boundaries, pursuing the highest caliber of performance regardless of style. Distinctions between genres have little meaning to the members of Fireworks. Instead, eclecticism is a way of life. Though classically trained, each of the ensemble members played rock, jazz, and world music from an early age. As a result, the variety of their programming is not forced; it is a natural consequence of their shared tastes and backgrounds. The apparently disparate styles that the group plays are simply dialects of a single musical language.
The group thrives on the excitement of exploring unfamiliar territory, developing the performance standard for contemporary works, and formulating unique interpretations of classic repertoire. Each season Fireworks presents new pieces by emerging composers; it has premiered ten pieces in its first three seasons. The ensemble is well-known for its striking arrangements and interpretations of earlier classical repertoire, ranging from J. S. Bach's The Art of the Fugue to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Its revitalizations provide a contemporary and unbiased entree into these masterpieces for new listeners and a fresh perspective on the time-honored classics for established audiences.
Writing about a recent performance in Hartford, composer and critic Robert Carl summed it up well: "This simply has to be heard to be believed; the music sounds completely contemporary in this orchestration, and one hears things one never has before. It's a gamble that triumphs."
reviews
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A very fine and powerful re-animation of "Rite of Spring"
author: Roland KreuscherOnly reason not to give the 5th star: This great composition was created by Strawinsky almost 100 years ago. And I've listened to it many times; live and on CD, in different versions and I still like most of them very much. But I never thought, such a fresh and absolutely refreshing version would come to my ears. If you really like Rite of Spring YOU MUST HAVE THIS ONE!
You must get this album!
author: Josh FriedmanYes, The Rite of Spring with electric guitar! The way Stravinsky wanted originally, I'm sure...
Rocking The Classics
author: RenéStravinsky's The Rite Of Spring has always been the most rocking classical composition I've heard. This modern version, with a rock-instrumentation comes very close, although it can't beat the power of a full orchestra. Fireworks doesn't try that, they create their own version, by acting like an 8 piece chamber orchestra with rock-instruments. They sound a bit like the Swedisch band Isildurs Bane; the instruments have all their own beautiful part in the scene, but also are one. A daring piece of work, which succesfully brings this orchestral piece almost as if it was written for this setting.
awesome
author: adam weissler / EXTRA (tv show)very cool.. and different.. hip yet beautiful.. for classical and rock music lovers both....
- author: Tamara Turner, CD Baby
Self-proclaimed as the group that "sounds like a rock band, but performs with the virtuosity and sensitivity of a classical chamber music ensemble," Fireworks has definitely demonstrated their talent and serious approach by untertaking one of classical music's most challenging masterpieces- Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring." Any fan of the piece, as well as any chamber rock follower, should not miss this NYC group; they are the bridge between the contemporary classical new music ensemble and the maintream, popular audience, bringing together two very different branches on the music tree. Just as Stravinsky's masterpiece caused riots during its premiere, Fireworks has continued with the mindset of daring, bold, musical strides to bring you a breathtaking interpretation that has insights for both the classical and rock musician- never has electric guitar sounded so compatible with orchestral instruments! Brilliant!
Awesome, can't describe it, classical/non classical lovers must hear it
author: d-wangA must for classical and non-classical listeners a like. You've never heard the Rite of Spring quite like this and performed with such a high calibre of musicianship. Bravo!