(upbeat music) - Utah Symphony is performing a special production of "The Rite of Spring" where audiences will feel the contrast between the starkness of the desert and the frenetic intensity of spring's awakening.

And here to tell us more is Adia Thornton.

Hi Adia.

Thank you for being back.

I'm so excited about this piece.

I've got your flyer up on my bulletin board.

- I love to hear that.

- So tell me, it's part of your Masterworks Magnified?

- Yes.

- So tell us about it.

- So our Masterworks Magnified series, our Masterworks series is what you would traditionally think of when you think of the symphony.

It's Mozart, it's Bach, it's Beethoven, it's big orchestral sound.

But that magnified element is where we add these extra things, like exciting visuals.

For this production, we're doing some magnification.

So everyone has a front row seat and can sort of see the details that are going on with the musicians that they're performing.

Sometimes there's activities like an instrument petting zoo where you can go and try your hand up playing the trumpet or the flute or the violin if you've never picked one up, or slam poetry up in the first tier room.

- Oh wow.

You've got a lot going on.

So you've got things to appeal to like new symphony goers.

But it'll be an interesting way for regular symphony goers to see the music.

- Exactly, we just want everyone to really understand and get into the music that we are also passionate about this.

"The Rite of Spring" originally started a riot when it premiered in 1903.

And please don't do that here.

But hopefully you get to sort of connect with that frenetic energy, that real excitement between all of these elements and getting to see everything so up close.

- Oh yeah, I absolutely love Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and yeah, it's a classic now that people weren't quite used to when it premiere, but it's incredible and I'm so glad you're doing it.

- Yeah, we're also doing this amazing piece, it's called "The Desert," and it's by Steve Wright.

And we've got some amazing vocalists that are also gonna perform there, and that's going to just feel so haunting and beautiful.

And fun fact, that vocalist group actually performed for the composer for his 60th birthday.

So they've got a real fun connection.

- All right, thank you so much for being here.

I'm so excited for the show, so thank you.

- Thank you so much.

- And if you'd like to know more about Utah Symphony's upcoming "The Rite of Spring" January 31st to February 1st, go to utahsymphony.org/event.

I'm Mary Dickson, thanks for watching "Contact."

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