Stravinsky: Mass, The Rite of Spring

Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 8:30 PM

Estimated Run Time: 1 hour

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Here, two of Stravinsky's masterpieces, which are polar opposites, come together. The Mass, which reveals the composer's faith, is a refined work, stripped of artificial effects. Paying homage to medieval and Renaissance musical traditions, it is a far cry from the flamboyance of his famous ballets. Evoking a pagan ritual in which a young girl is sacrificed to celebrate the renewal of spring, The Rite of Spring was one of the most striking of these ballets: with its wild rhythms, brutal dissonances, and rich orchestration, it caused a scandal when it premiered in Paris. Today, the work is considered a pillar of modern music, a symbol of rupture and expressive power. Alongside the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris, a brass octet and organists Olivier Latry and Shin-Young Lee confront these two facets of Stravinsky's music, so dissimilar yet equally fascinating.

Photo by ©Yannick Boschat

Program

Sergueï Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Ave Maria [Bogorodice Djevo], excerpt from All-Night Vigil op.37

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Mass
Rite of Spring

Cast

Olivier Latry & Shin-Young Lee, organ
Brass octet
Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris
Henri Chalet, conductor