The Rite of Spring (MacMillan) "made a brave musicianly and tasteful attempt" while questioning whether "the stage can really be its home – that remains unproven"; "dance and dancers" described it as "a singular and signal triumph"; Mason's performance was judged "brilliantly done", "one of British ballet's most memorable performances". In "The Times" John Percival commented that ever since Nijinsky's original attempt in 1913 "The Rite" had been waiting for a choreographer who could make it work on stage, and MacMillan's was the most successful version to date: "Mr MacMillan's invention can never have been more musical or assured. Time and time again Stravinsky's music,
The Rite of Spring of musical language that they could never again be put together as before". The academic and critic Jan Smaczny, echoing Bernstein, calls it one of the 20th century's most influential compositions, providing "endless stimulation for performers and listeners". According to Kelly the 1913 premiere might be considered "the most important single moment in the history of 20th century music", and its repercussions continue to reverberate in the 21st century. Ross has described "The Rite" as a prophetic work, presaging the "second avant-garde" era in classical composition—music of the body rather than of the mind, in which "[m]elodies would follow the