Program/Show Logo: http://66.media.tumblr.com/8e2a096cdb7bf09c98b9e78a97a53e96/tumblr_o92923PNX71umr1tgo2_540.png

Almost no musical work has had such a powerful influence or evoked as much controversy as Igor Stravinsky's ballet score "The Rite of Spring". The work's premiere was scandalous. In addition to the outrageous costumes, Nijinsky's unusual choreography and the bizarre story of pagan sacrifice, Stravinsky's musical innovations provoked a seismic response. With its violence, dissonance, and apparent cacophony, the music was as energetic and primitive as the theme.

May 29, 1913 ... 8:45 curtain.

That opening night of Le Sacre represents a milestone in the development of "modernism," modernism through which art and life both become a matter of energy and are fused as one. The choreography was not simply an attempt to relate movement to sound but to express sound in movement. The theme invoked the mystery and great surge of the creative power of Spring with primitive, pre-individual man portrayed in nature. In this portrayal of the continuity of life, fundamental, brutal, and beyond individual fate, there was only energy, exultation, and necessity.

The S53 Arsenal Drum & Bugle Corps will be interpreting this piece on the field for their show, "The Riot of Spring." Through the framework of Stravinsky's music burst forth an extraordinary terrain of audio and visual imagination. From classical to jazz to primal rhythms and beyond, Arsenal will explore the living, breathing robustness of organic design and performance. The Arsenal Drum & Bugle Corps will tour to showcase their talented performers through creativity and excellence. A season unfolds and the cycle of adventure continues with Arsenal and "The Riot of Spring."

We, the Arsenal staff, wish all performers well this season, and cordially invite all groups to sign up for our 18th seasonal Arsenal Sound Showdown on July 16th. Sound the horns.

(Yes, this was stolen from the Blue Devils 2013 show announcement. Shhhhhhh.)