Stravinsky Rite Of Spring Analysis

Debra Genaidy MUSI 1306 WW1 November 16, 2014

Concert Critique: The Charles W. Eisemann Center. Plano Symphony Orchestra. Igor Stravinsky “The Rite of Spring”

Russian-born Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky is one of the most renowned and significant

composers of all time. His ground-breaking styles of tone color, rhythm, and harmony had

profound impact on artists in the fields of music, painting, and choreography. Stravinsky’s

influence had international reach and, though he lived in several countries during his lifetime, he

remained tied to his Russian nationalistic roots. His wide variety of musical works include

thirteen ballets but some think all of his music can be danced to, whether or not that

During this time, Stravinsky

remained under the tutelage of Rimsky-Korsakov and by early 1908, began to gain public

notoriety for his works. Rimsky-Korsakov died that June, which devastated Stravinsky and

made him fear that his works would die along with his mentor. He had composed several

orchestrations by this time, including Fireworks and Scherzo fantastique. His fears were

unfounded, as in 1909 he was invited by the founder of Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev, to

orchestrate arrangements for his ballets; Stravinsky was on his way to becoming a sensation. His

first major success came with the ballet, The Firebird (1910); the next was the ballet Petrushka

(1911); the third was the controversially dissonant ballet, The Rite of Spring (1913).

In 1914, Stravinsky fled with his family to Switzerland to escape from World War I.

After that war ended, Stravinsky and his family moved to France. Stravinsky’s wife, Katya, died

of tuberculosis in 1939. After Katya’s death, Stravinsky moved to the United States and settled

in Los Angeles. His mistress, Vera Sudeykina, followed him soon after; they were married in

1940. He moved to New York in 1969 where he stayed until his