Album: Dylan Howe/Will Butterworth Duo, The Rite of Spring (Motorik)

You can query why anyone would want to do it at all, but drummer Howe and pianist Butterworth's bare-bones reworking of Stravinsky's masterpiece can't be faulted for effort or ambition.

Using Stravinsky's own arrangement for piano, the ballet's folk-based themes are introduced by Butterworth before Howe's entry cues in some serious jazz damage. The "Introduction" and brief epiphanies thereafter are lovely but the heavy ostinatos and all-around-the-kit kerfuffle challenge the listener's ability to feel much pleasure.