Stravinsky and Nijinsky create the ballet, The Rite of Spring. ( )

Highly Recommended

In this non-fiction picture book, the reader is introduced to Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Nijinsky. The author introduces Stravinsky as a famous Russian composer and Ninjinsky as a famous Russian ballet dancer. The two decided to collaborate and create something new that the world had not seen or heard yet. It was so different that “at rehearsal, some of the dancers declared it a mess and one or two musician walked out.” The world premier of the Rite of Spring took place at the Theatre des Champs Elysees in May of 1913 (clearly illustrated in the book). Some of the audience hated it and some loved seeing something so new. Some people began yelling and fighting in the aisles. Stravinsky and Nijinsky were pleased that they had begun something very different and new on the night of their premier.

The illustrations reflect the dissonant, atonal, avant garde feeling of the Rite of Spring. The idea of cubism and Russian folk tales are woven throughout the pages. There are instruments and music notes all over the place. The images are very colorful and very loud…just like the ballet. This book would be perfect for a read aloud in an upper elementary or middle school music class. It introduces a movement and the idea of artists collaborating. A lot of messages are conveyed in this picture book. It would also be a good story to read in art class. It conveys the idea of cubism and telling a story through visual art. The reader can see that the illustrations were inspired by Picasso and Matisse. This one night was revolutionary in the world of art. Things were quickly changing and it was hard for some people to get used to this change.

I think some musical and artistic background is needed to fully appreciate this book, or at least someone who can explain it to children. It is very informative. The author provides notes at the end about both Stravinsky and Nijinsky. It also provides more information about The Rite of Spring and the illustrations. One thing that really stood out to me was that despite the near riot breaking in the theatre, the conductor Pierre Monteux conducted Stravinsky’s score from beginning to end without missing a beat. Amazing! I don’t agree with the Horn Book review about the inaccuracy of the text. For an introductory book, it’s great. Also, the rhythm of the text reflects the rhythm of the music. It is not too much. This is an interesting and fun book. There is also an accompanying AR test for those students interested. ( )

http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2013/08/when-stravinsky-met-nijinsky.html ( )