NEWS RELEASE

5/29/01

Beth Youngdoff, publicist, Music Department: (650) 723-5981, beth.youngdoff@stanford.edu
John Sanford, writer, News Service: (650) 736-2151, jsanford@stanford

Stanford Symphony Orchestra to end season with Stravinsky, Mozart

For its final concert of the season, the Stanford Symphony Orchestra will perform Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Mozart's Symphony No. 41 (the famous "Jupiter" symphony) at 8 p.m. June 1-2 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium.

The Friday evening concert will be in honor of Loran Crosten, the Music Department's first chair, who died in February at the age of 91.

When Les Ballets Russes first performed The Rite of Spring in Paris on May 29, 1913, it caused a ruckus in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. There were catcalls and hisses; fistfights erupted in the aisles. At times, the noise from the audience drowned out the music.

The source of this chaos was the ballet, with Vaslav Nijinsky's unusual choreography depicting a story of ritual sacrifice, and Stravinsky's heavily rhythmic score, resonant with discordant harmonies. It was a revolutionary and pathbreaking piece of music.

Mozart finished writing his last symphony, Symphony No. 41, in 1788. It is believed that English pianist and publisher J. B. Cramer nicknamed it the "Jupiter" symphony because of its godlike perfection.

Tickets are $8 for general admission, $4 for students with a valid ID, and are available in advance at the Stanford Ticket Office ­ (650) 723-4317 ­ or at the door of the auditorium.

 At Skywalker Ranch

The orchestra will head to Skywalker Ranch in Nicasio, Calif., on June 16 to record music for a film being made in support of undergraduate education.

"This trip will be a real coup for the orchestra, recording in the state-of-the-art environs of Skywalker," said Music Department publicist Beth Youngdoff.

-30-

By John Sanford