I’m thrilled to announce the release of a new Visual Listening Guide to one of 20th century music’s iconic works: The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky!
An excerpt from the Visual Listening Guide of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
Program for the Symphony Exploder concert.
Commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, this Visual Listening Guide was first made available to the audience as part of a new concert experience, created by the Orchestra in partnership with Song Exploder—the award-winning podcast and a Netflix original television series hosted, created, and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway. In the first half of the concert, Hirway and TSO Music Director Gustavo Gimeno unpacked for the audience key moments from Stravinsky’s score, with the Orchestra playing excerpts live. In the second half, the Orchestra performed the piece was in its entirety, as the audience took it in with fresh, more informed ears.
The new Visual Listening Guide was promoted on screens at Roy Thomson Hall and in the newspaper-style programs.
Audience members had access to a printable PDF of the Visual Listening Guide via a QR code in the program.
Attendees of the concert received exclusive access to a printable digital download of the Visual Listening Guide, which they can enjoy afterwards with their favourite recordings. In this context, the Visual Listening Guide serves as a wonderful memento of a special concert experience, and extends audience engagement with the piece beyond the concert hall.
A standing ovation for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conductor Gustavo Gimeno, and host Hrishikesh Hirway.
Thank you, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, for the commission!