Ballets Russes at a time when he was virtually unknown to compose the music for "The Firebird", after the composer Anatoly Lyadov proved unreliable, and this was instrumental in launching Stravinsky's career in Europe and the United States of America. Stravinsky's early ballet scores were the subject of much discussion. "The Firebird" (1910) was seen as an astonishingly accomplished work for such a young artist (Debussy is said to have remarked drily: "Well, you've got to start somewhere!"). Many contemporary audiences found "Petrushka" (1911) to be almost unbearably dissonant and confused. "The Rite of Spring" (1913) nearly caused an audience riot. It
The Rite of Spring discography ballet and as a concert piece. The discography is not exhaustive; new recordings frequently appear, as do reissues of older recordings. In the tables, the year given is not necessarily an accurate guide to the time of the actual performance, since sometimes recordings are held for many years before release. On the 22 March 2008 broadcast of BBC 3's CD Review - Building a Library, music critic Rob Cowan surveyed recordings of "The Rite of Spring" and recommended the 2004 recording by the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Péter Eötvös (conductor), as the best available choice. The Rite of Spring discography This