John Ringer - Stravinsky-The Rite of Spring
Scummy Job Records - 2003
By Paddy Walsh
The full title of this cd is Stavinsky - The Rite of Spring for Electirc Guitar, Electirc Bass and Percussion, and it does almost exactly what you would expect, being a surprisingly faithful interpretation on Stravinsky's seminal classical piece in a power trio setting. The best way to view this work is in the grand tradition of progressive rock indulgence, such as ELP's 1972 album Pictures at an Exhibition, as it attempts to faithfully recreate The Rite of Spring in a rock context. John Ringer played and arranged the entire thing himself, using a drum machine for the percussion.
If you have even a cursory familiarity with the original Rite of Spring, John Ringer's cover proves quite an admirably accurate reinterpretation, as properly expressing an intricate work of classical music is no mean feat on guitar, bass and drums. As a standalone piece of music, however, this comes across as an extended prog-rock jam, sounding at times like latter-day King Crimson. It is questionable just how good this works in a purely rock setting though, as Ringer fails to capture the oft-dark atmosphere that made The Rite of Spring so compelling in the first place. Thus, this cd works as an interesting diversion but doesn't really hold the attention for very long - perhaps highlighting the limitations of Ringer's chosen format for this work.
Official John Ringer Scummy Job Website
Scummy Job Records - 2003
By Paddy Walsh
The full title of this cd is Stavinsky - The Rite of Spring for Electirc Guitar, Electirc Bass and Percussion, and it does almost exactly what you would expect, being a surprisingly faithful interpretation on Stravinsky's seminal classical piece in a power trio setting. The best way to view this work is in the grand tradition of progressive rock indulgence, such as ELP's 1972 album Pictures at an Exhibition, as it attempts to faithfully recreate The Rite of Spring in a rock context. John Ringer played and arranged the entire thing himself, using a drum machine for the percussion.
If you have even a cursory familiarity with the original Rite of Spring, John Ringer's cover proves quite an admirably accurate reinterpretation, as properly expressing an intricate work of classical music is no mean feat on guitar, bass and drums. As a standalone piece of music, however, this comes across as an extended prog-rock jam, sounding at times like latter-day King Crimson. It is questionable just how good this works in a purely rock setting though, as Ringer fails to capture the oft-dark atmosphere that made The Rite of Spring so compelling in the first place. Thus, this cd works as an interesting diversion but doesn't really hold the attention for very long - perhaps highlighting the limitations of Ringer's chosen format for this work.
Official John Ringer Scummy Job Website
