Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky Composer

Season 24/25 Artist

Biography

Igor Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum (Russia) in June 17, 1882. Her mother, Anna, was a singer and introduced him to music. Nikolaï Rimski-Korsakov took him under his protection and introduced him to the music world in Saint Petersburg. In 1908, Stravinsky composed for him Firework, but the great master died. Serge Diaghilev, future leader of the Russian Ballets, saw the creation of the work and asked him to compose for his ballets. Stravinsky composed for him The Firebird, which premiered in Paris in 1910. On this occasion, he met Claude Debussy, whom he admired and with whom he maintained a lasting friendship.

In 1911, he wrote Petrushka, a ballet even more acclaimed than the last, and in 1913 The Rite of Spring, a work that caused a scandal, deemed too innovative and modern. During the First World War, he exiled himself to Switzerland. There, he wrote Tale of the Soldier a theatrical piece. In 1918, he came back to Paris. Renard and Mavra, two light opera pieces, were created in 1922 at the Paris Opera, then his oratorio-opera Œdipus Rex in 1927 at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt. In 1935, he went on tour in the United States. He had great success there and received a number of commissions, among which the ballet Game of cards. However, misfortune struck his family: he lost his wife, his daughter and his mother to tuberculosis. In 1940, he composed Dumbarton Oaks, a chamber music piece, and Symphony in C. He remarried in the United States with Vera de Bosset. 1951 marked the beginning of his serial period and his use of the twelve-tone technique.

In 1962, he returned for a triumphal tour in the USSR. He continued to enjoy great success, but his health declined and he died in New York in 1971. Stravinsky brought a decisive contribution to the musical language of the 20th century, particularly in the fields of rhythm, timbre and orchestration.

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