More than just the "Rite"...

[Valerie]

Hi

As I write this post, I am listening to beethoven.com and my namesake's music is being played - the rite of spring...

But, there is so much more to Stravinsky than the rite and the ballet music...

i remember a thread not too long ago where his music was vaguely discussed - oh, how he was not really russian, but french - needless to say, i did chime in on this...

you can hear the russian/soviet (remember the soviet union??) influences - especially in his early works - focus on the russian folk music...

oh well - explore and learn, he was an incredible composer, and pretty neat person...

no - i never met him, i was a little girl when he died...but, i do/did know people who knew him

take care!

[Marye]

Stravinsky,

Please then... discuss his music....I should like to learn more.

[priya978]

What do those people that knew him say about him?
Even his most popular music (The Rite) have Russian folk melodies. (I still stand by the fact that he is French.)
He wrote his few operas (Nightingale, the DIFFERENT Rakes progress) his other ballets Le Noces (the works from this period are are very smally scored and jagged) etc
(Warning- Dont listen to his "American music" You couldnt find anything LESS American in ALL classsical music literature.)
I don't want to write more. Everything i says seems popular anyway.

[Angie Parkes]

As much as I love the Rite, Firebird, and Pulcinella, I also like the few chamber pieces I've heard, particularly Dumbarton Oaks, one of the more popular pieces of S's chamber music, I guess.

[bignaf]

strav, hoe are the early works soviet influenced? they were composed before the soviet union was formed. les noces is very Russian.

[Valerie]

russian influence - early works

later works - a slap at soviet society

hope this clarifies...

[shostakovich]

From his student days with Rimsky-Korsakov through Rite for Diaghilev, he was purely Russian. After that he became more universal: Ebony Concerto (American), French (L'Histoire du Soldat), Italian (Pulcinella), Russian (Les Noces), oriental (Song of the Nightingale), classical Greek (Orpheus, Apollo). He left Russia before the revolution and did not return till after his composing career was over.

I'd heard that he was stand-offish, even snotty. But those reports were mostly from people he did business with. I'd like to hear about his soft side from people who knew him as a person. Can you help us out here, Stravinsky? Thanks in advance.
Shos

<small>[ 08-14-2003, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: shostakovich ]</small>

[bignaf]

Originally posted by Stravinsky:
russian influence - early works

later works - a slap at soviet society

hope this clarifies...

it does, thanks.

[bignaf]

shos try Rubionstein's autobiography. I'm almost sure at least one of the Stravinsky stries is fictitious but he doesn't come across as stand-offish.

[Valerie]

hi shos

well, from 2 of my teachers who actually knew him and hung out with him a little bit, stravinsky was not "standoffish" - he was a nice guy, but could be kinda snotty with "uneducated" people - meaning, people who like to be near "important" people and show off what they don't know - apparently he wasn't impressed with "groupies"

i never read Rubionstein's autobiography - i guess i should have...

you mentioned one of my favorite pieces of music, L'Histoire du Soldat

Marye - shos gave a good starter list in his post - shows the many influences and styles of his music

i must admit - that i don't have everything on CD, i have many albums (remember them??) and i would have to dig out the recordings for the orchestras and conductors, as i will admit i am snobby about orchestras and conductors

as for good interpretation - lenny knew stravinsky and i would even go out on a limb and say they worked together

WARNING!!! NEVER PURCHASE ANY RECORDINGS WHERE IGOR IS CONDUCTING HIS OWN MUSIC, he could write, but he could not conduct his way out of a paper bag - i have the cd to prove it - lord, it is painful!

oh well - this jostled my memory a little...

like i said in an earlier post - go out an explore! find info on the internet! i don't do that, as i rely on my studies and memories (i need to refresh my memories to keep up with many on the board...shos, big, bones, OT...even eugene sometimes

[bignaf]

yikes! I meant Rubinstein. that was good Strav...

[dai bread 1]

Petrouchka, anybody?

[barfle]

[quote]Originally posted by dai bread 1:
[b] Petrouchka, anybody? :p

As much as I like most of the rest of Igor's music, that piece just doesn't have any music my ears can discern. And for someone who really likes ballet, I still don't care for the piece. Fortunately, Igor wrote a lot more music to listen to, so I don't have to sit through that piece very often.