In Austria for the Salzburg Whitsun Festival. Three wonderful performances by the orchestra, choir and ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg under Valery Gergiev.

Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’ was first performed at the Theatre des Champs Elysees, Paris on 29 May 1913. To commemorate the 100th anniversary the first performance was recreated featuring the original Vaslav Nijinsky choreography and copies of the original costumes and stage sets by Nicholas Roerich.

‘Les Noces’, Stravinsky’s choral ballet, first performed in 1923, featured the choreography of Bronislava Nijinska, with stage sets by Natalia Gontcharova. ‘The Firebird’ featured the choreography of the 1910 premiere by Michel Fokin, with sets and costumes designed by Fokin, Golovin and Leon Bakst.

The standard of performance by both orchestra and dancers was exceptional.  Beautifully sunny Salzburg weather also helped to make it a wonderful weekend.