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“To this day, the babushkas in villages in the Perm region – figures of great knowledge and authority, like teachers, doctors and magicians rolled into one – dress as they did hundreds of years ago and sit and sing these tunes. That is where Le Scare du printemps comes from, a combination of Russian folk tunes once known to every child in a Russian village street. What I want to offer with this recording is the pure Russian essence of the piece. I want the listener, to discover the real musical scent of this deep end of the world.” –Teodor Currentzis

 

Following on from the critical acclaim  garnered by their reinvigorated interpretation of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte operas as well as their Rameau anthology The Sound of Light,  Teodor Currentzis and his orchestra of exceptional musicians – MusicAeterna – will release their interpretation of one of classical music’s most iconic works this Fall: Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps.   Sony Classical will release the album worldwide on October 9.

Based at the Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre, where Greek-born Currentzis (b.1972) is artistic director, the conductor and ensemble have made an international name for themselves through their revelatory musical interpretations, no-compromise approach to rehearsals and recordings, and the rare creative environment they foster. Leadaing Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera recently heralded Currentzis and his orchestra as “The music world’s discovery of the year”, and the UK’s influential daily The Independent “The most dynamic newcomers in classical music.”

Currentzis’ approach to Stravinsky’s pioneering composition is thoroughly considered and deliberate. No newcomer to Le Sacre du printemps, having performed it on many occasions during his career, Currentzis – based in Russia since the early 1990s – and his handpicked musicians strip back layers of Western European tradition to draw heavily on the work’s Russian folk origins – its ancient cadences and pagan rhythms.

About his affinity to folk music, Currentzis explains:  “In my beginnings, at the age of 23, I understood that I had the power to articulate the ritualistic aspects of any kind of folk music, maybe due to my origins or my disposition. Folk music functioned as the oxygen of truth for me in the stifling halls of the academies. It is this truth that I wish to invoke with the greatest possible transparency.“

This album comes as Sony Classical’s fourth release with Teodor Currentzis and MusicAeterna, and further demonstrates the variety of exciting projects being undertaken by this unique artistic community based at the foot of the Ural Mountains. International praise for the first two installments in their Mozart Da Ponte cycle has been exceptional: “The field of Figaro recordings is crowded, but Currentzis’s deserves a special space” (Financial Times);  “Truly a benchmark recording” (El Mundo – about Figaro); “In their dynamic range, their rhythmic preciseness, and their love for eloquent details, this recording stands out” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – about Figaro); “Wonders keep tumbling out” (The Times – about Così fan tutte); “Mozart has never been more erotic. An opera recording that just revels in pain and lust” (Die Zeit – Così fan tutte).

Their Rameau anthology Sound of Light was also met with critical acclaim: “In these wonderful recordings, both the lyricism of the vocal numbers and the adrenaline rush Currentzis inspires from his MusicAeterna ensemble in the most exuberant orchestral passages are simply awe-inspiring. Wherever you may be, this album will astonish you with its gift of sheer, unalloyed joie de vivre.“ (Corriere della Sera)

 

Stravinsky – Le Sacre du Printemps will appear internationally on October 9 in CD, vinyl and digital formats.