Les Noces / Stravinsky

In Stravinsky’s Les Noces, four tableaux with ‘choreographed scenes with music and voices’ depict the ritual of a Russian peasant wedding. Sober, stylized, and razor-sharp. Combining rhythmic brutality with an almost hypnotic force, the music conjures the timeless and inexorable nature of the ritual. In this performance of Les Noces, Cappella Amsterdam opts for the 1919 instrumentation, with cimbaloms, harmonium and pianola. Additional pieces, such as the playful Circus Polka and the rhythmic Piano-Rag-Music, emphasize Stravinsky’s masterful use of rhythm and timbre. The programme further features works for pianola and harmonium, showcasing both Stravinsky’s experimental nature and the varied tonal colours that distinguish his work.