Which composer wrote The Rite of Spring, premiered in Paris in 1913?

Igor Stravinsky wrote The Rite of Spring, premiered in Paris in 1913.

The ballet, whose original French title is Le Sacre du printemps, received its first performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 29 May 1913. Vaslav Nijinsky choreographed it for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, and Pierre Monteux conducted the premiere. The scenario depicts pagan rituals in prehistoric Russia culminating in the sacrifice of a young woman.

Stravinsky’s score uses sharply accented rhythms, layered ostinatos, unusual harmonies, and striking orchestral combinations. Its violent energy and angular choreography helped make the premiere one of the most famous disturbances in concert and ballet history. Reports of the audience reaction vary, but disagreement began during the performance and became part of the work’s legend.

The Rite of Spring is sometimes confused with Stravinsky’s earlier Ballets Russes scores The Firebird and Petrushka. Those ballets also brought him international fame, but The Rite of Spring is the work most associated with the 1913 premiere and its radical rhythmic language.