Role

:

Composer Conductor  

Country

:

Russia

Birth

:

June 17, 1882 in Orianenbaum, Russia

Death

:

April 6, 1971 in New York City, NY

Period

:

Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Ballet

 

 

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Orchestral

 

Igor Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer who is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative composers of the 20th century. He was born on June 17, 1882, in Oranienbaum, Russia, to a family of musicians. His father was a bass singer at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and his mother was a pianist. Stravinsky showed an early interest in music and began taking piano lessons at the age of nine. He later studied law and philosophy at the University of St. Petersburg, but his passion for music led him to study composition with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the leading composers of the time. Stravinsky's early works were heavily influenced by the Russian folk music and traditions that he grew up with. His first major composition, the Symphony in E-flat, was completed in 1907 and premiered in St. Petersburg the following year. The work was well-received and helped establish Stravinsky as a rising star in the Russian music scene. In 1910, Stravinsky was commissioned by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev to compose a ballet for his Ballets Russes company. The resulting work, The Firebird, was a huge success and marked the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration between Stravinsky and Diaghilev. Over the next few years, Stravinsky continued to compose ballets for the Ballets Russes, including Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913). The latter work, with its unconventional rhythms and dissonant harmonies, caused a scandal at its premiere in Paris and is now regarded as one of the most important and influential works of the 20th century. During World War I, Stravinsky moved to Switzerland and began to explore new musical styles and techniques. His works from this period, including the ballets Pulcinella (1920) and The Soldier's Tale (1918), show a shift away from the Russian folk influences of his earlier works and a move towards a more neoclassical style. In the 1920s and 1930s, Stravinsky continued to experiment with new musical forms and techniques. He composed a series of works for the Ballets Russes, including Les Noces (1923) and Apollon musagète (1928), as well as several orchestral works, including the Symphony of Psalms (1930) and Symphony in C (1940). During World War II, Stravinsky moved to the United States and became an American citizen in 1945. He continued to compose prolifically, producing works in a variety of genres, including opera, ballet, and orchestral music. Some of his most famous works from this period include the opera The Rake's Progress (1951) and the ballet Agon (1957). Stravinsky's later works show a continued interest in experimentation and innovation. He explored serialism and other modernist techniques in works such as Threni (1958) and Requiem Canticles (1966), and he also experimented with electronic music in works such as Poème électronique (1957). Throughout his career, Stravinsky was recognized as one of the most important and influential composers of his time. His works have had a profound impact on the development of modern music, and his legacy continues to be felt today. He died on April 6, 1971, in New York City, at the age of 88.

More....