The original Ballets Russes company performance of Rite of Spring is one of the most fascinating stories in music history. Whether it was Igor Stravinsky’s score or the accompanying choreography that instigated the rioting crowd is still something of a debate. Most likely, it was the combination of the two. The musical thread used sounds and combinations of tones that had never before been experienced, and musical historians have said that the audience simply could not process it, causing rapid-fire hysteria to set in. Add on the avant garde flailing and convulsive dance Nijinsky created to act out the piece, and we see a work that was truly before its time. This weekend Dallas audiences get a rare chance to experience that performance in the original manner it was presented when Titus presents the Joffrey Ballet’s 100-year salute to Rite of Spring. The extremely cool event occurs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Winspear Opera House (2403 Flora St.), and tickets for each range from $12 to $90. Get yours at attpac.org.
Fri., Jan. 18, 2013