Igor Stravinsky

Stravinsky's music is defined by rhythmic vitality, brilliant orchestral color, and a chameleon-like ability to absorb and transform any style he encountered. His 'Russian' period features explosive asymmetric rhythms and raw folkloric energy. His neoclassical works reimagine Baroque and Classical forms with ironic wit and displaced harmonies. His late serial works compress immense expression into crystalline structures. Throughout, his rhythmic invention and orchestral precision remain constant.

Rimsky-Korsakov was Stravinsky's teacher and the launching pad for his orchestral brilliance. Diaghilev's Ballets Russes commissioned the three revolutionary ballets that made his name. Bach, Pergolesi, Tchaikovsky, and jazz all fed his neoclassical period. Late in life, he absorbed Webern's serialism through the influence of his assistant Robert Craft, transforming twelve-tone technique into something uniquely his own.

Stravinsky's career divides into three great periods: the Russian ballets (Firebird through Les Noces) that made him the most famous living composer; the neoclassical works (Pulcinella through The Rake's Progress) that dominated his middle decades with their witty reimagining of past forms; and the late serial works (from Agon onward) that brought a new austerity and compression. Each period shocked admirers of the previous one, and each produced masterpieces.

The premiere of The Rite of Spring at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on May 29, 1913, provoked one of the most famous riots in art history. The audience erupted — shouting, whistling, and fighting — within minutes of the curtain rising. Stravinsky fled backstage. The police arrived. Yet the music itself was so revolutionary that within a year it was being performed as a concert piece to standing ovations. It remains perhaps the single most consequential premiere in musical history.

Stravinsky was a shrewd businessman and relentless self-promoter who re-orchestrated and re-copyrighted his own works to maintain royalty income, conducted recordings of nearly everything he wrote, and carefully curated his public image through ghostwritten books. His supposedly spontaneous bon mots were often carefully rehearsed.

Stravinsky is one of the most frequently performed composers of the 20th century — The Rite of Spring, Firebird, and Petrushka are orchestral staples worldwide. The Symphony of Psalms and The Rake's Progress receive regular performances. His neoclassical and serial works are less often heard but deeply rewarding. Any orchestra's season without Stravinsky feels incomplete. He's the definition of an evergreen.