Having paid double to schedule the famous Ballets Russes, the stage manager of Paris’ newest theater watched as a sold-out audience heard the first performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. The crowd began to riot and split into two fighting factions, then quickly turned its anger toward the orchestra. Stravinsky’s revolutionary score depicting the ancient rituals and folk music of Russia became an audience favorite and has since inspired composers from Copland to Messiaen.