Stravinsky bookends: "The Rite" at OH and the Loring

How lucky is this? The week before The Bad Plus brings its "reappraisal and rearrangement" of The Rite of Spring to the Loring Theater, the Minnesota Orchestra will perform The Rite of Spring at Orchestra Hall.

Even better, Orchestra Hall's performance is part of its popular "Inside the Classics" series, led by conductor Sarah Hicks and violist Sam Bergman. During the first part of the program, Hicks and Bergman explore the Rite, talk about it, and share insights, and the Orchestra performs musical examples. The second part is a full performance of the Rite.

If you're planning to see The Bad Plus and you sort-of know Stravinsky's original, think of the OH concert as Stravinsky school. Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson, and Dave King are all Stravinsky fans, and they have spent months studying this music. Of course, you can go to TBP and just listen and enjoy without knowing squat about Stravinsky, but I promise you'll enjoy it more with some background in your brain and the orchestral version fresh in your ears.

Thanks to composer Bill Kempe for telling me about the OH performance.