Rite of Spring

Can deep sadness be beautiful?  Michi Wiancko’s heart-stopping string arrangement of a Renaissance motet answers that question. A different contemporary vibe comes via the young Californian Gabriella Smith’s Carrot Revolution. Her joyfully defiant rhythmic splash for string quartet is a new way of looking at old things.  Ravel’s Violin Sonata is a French pastel-coloured take on jazz, with a bluesy slow movement inspired by Gershwin. Then get ready for the shock of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. This two-piano version, with percussion added, erupts in a primal scream of pagan Russian spring rituals.

Carlo Gesualdo (arr. by Michi Wianko) - Tristis est anima mea

Maurice Ravel - Violin Sonata No. 3, for violin and piano

Gabriella Smith - Carrot Revolution

Igor Stravinsky - Rite of Spring , arr. for two pianos and percussion