The Stravinsky Years
Epilogue: Page 2
1972 Stravinsky Festival
The “Symphony of Psalms” was performed in June 1972 (the year after Stravinsky’s death) as part of an eight-day tribute to Stravinsky in the year of his ninetieth birthday. The Gregg Smith Singers joined forces with Balanchine's New York City Ballet in a massive tribute to Stravinsky, closing the two-week Festival at the New York State Theater with “Symphony of Psalms.”
George Balanchine created a number of new choreographies for Stravinsky works for the festival, including “Symphony in Three Movements” (1945).
Roz Rees remembers singing Stravinsky’s “Von Himmel Hoch Variations” from the orchestra pit. She then recalls GSS hurrying out of the orchestra pit and entering on stage from the wings to stand behind the members of the ballet (who were seated on the rim of the stage) and sing the “Symphony of Psalms,” with the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
An interesting “re-take” of “The Flood,” using the original CBS audio broadcast from 1962 (with the Gregg Smith Singers!), was made for the Channel 13 “Alive From Off Center” series. Noted video artist and graphic designer, Jaap Drupsteen, created a new version of “The Flood” using videos of actors lip-syncing the original text and music from 1962. This new imagery was then incorporated into an animated version of Stravinsky’s original broadcast. It aired on August 30, 1987 at 10:30 pm on Channel 13.
