Igor+Stravinsky

“I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it.” ~Igor Stravinsky Although widely regarded as a master composer with a penchant for complicated rhythms and chord progressions and structure, Igor Stravinsky was ruled first and foremost by his passions. Born in Russia in June of 1882, Stravinsky had an unremarkable childhood, and although he was drawn towards music performance and composition, was thought to have little musical talent. As such, he was sent to study the law in St. Petersburg. However, his heart was not in it and he pursued music composition, studying with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the most accomplished Russian composers of the time. As a result of these studies, he was recognized by Sergei Diaghalev of the Ballet Russe and began a lucrative partnership that served as the impetus to Stravinsky’s eventual fame. Their first collaboration, The Firebird, premiered in Paris in 1910 and was met with rave reviews for the lush melodies and gorgeous costumes. This ballet truly catapulted Stravinsky into the public eye and helped establish a devoted fan base among the elite of the music world. The next two collaborations were Petrushka and Le Sacre du Printemps in 1913. The latter piece, otherwise known as The Rite of Spring opened with a truly scandalous premiere night in Paris. In this piece, Stravinsky utilized multiple time signatures, discordant tones, and an incredibly large orchestra to create a sense of incredible tension and unrest. At the time, orchestral music and ballet performances were designed to display the true beauty of artistic expression but The Rite roiled against these conventions and the audience was not pleased. Riots ensued resulting in the police being called to the scene, multiple arrests and injuries, and the performance cancelled before it had been completed. However, even before the Kardashians were a household name, people love scandal and subsequent performances were sold out and even led to a second run of the ballet in 1920. Igor Stravinsky traveled the world and lived in many different with his wife and children including France. Paris, which had seen the birth of his career, was near and dear to his heart. Here, he met famed fashion designer, Coco Chanel. She served as his patron with the Ballet Russe and also offered his family sanctuary in her country home outside of the city. Also, while living in France, Stravinsky developed many partnerships with institutions such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Harvard University. These relationships continued when he eventually moved to the United States of America. Stravinsky’s compositions had a profound effect on the world of music. Many composers, including American Aaron Copland, felt he was one of the most accomplished composers of the day. Igor’s use of tonality and rhythm revolutionized the instrumental world and paved the way for composers such as Philip Glass. In popular culture, Stravinsky has been the subject of many stories including the movie, “Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky.” Both of his pieces, “The Rite of Spring” and “The Firebird” were immortalized in Disney’s Fantasia series. Igor Stravinsky’s music broke boundaries and paved the way for new musical thought while his passion inspires and can be heard every time one of his compositions is performed.