Greek-born, Russian-based conductor Teodor Currentzis – self-styled badass of classical music – usually goes in for the kind of shock tactics that make Rameau sound roguish and Mozart sound plain hyperactive. So what does he do with the Earth-shaking violence of Stravinsky’s ballet? Weirdly, he smooths it out. Currentzis’s account of The Rite with his excellent Russian period-instrument ensemble, MusicAeterna, begins captivatingly enough with a eerily wan bassoon solo and quiet, chamber-like suppleness, but as things progress the work’s energy never quite erupts. It’s all too easy, too knowing. The Augurs of Spring is pert, jaunty; Spring Rounds has a bright, brawny swagger that is more spaghetti western than Russian steppe. Dance of the Earth is clipped, tight and very clean. I often found my toe tapping away while I was listening – the rhythms are sprightly and the orchestral playing is faultless, but there’s nothing of the brute power or cataclysmic terror that gripping performances of this piece unleash.
