Profile
Igor Stravinsky: The Composer Who Shook the Concert Hall
Russian-born composer of The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, born on 5 June 1882
Igor Stravinsky was born on 5 June 1882 in Oranienbaum near St Petersburg, the son of a famous opera singer. He studied law before taking private composition lessons with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
His ballets The Firebird (1910) and Petrushka (1911) made him a star in Paris. In 1913, The Rite of Spring, with its pounding rhythms and clashing harmonies, caused one of the most famous scandals in musical history.
He lived in Switzerland and France before settling in the United States in 1939, later becoming an American citizen. He continued composing into his eighties and died in New York in 1971, being buried in Venice.
Career highlights
- 1882Born near St Petersburg: son of a leading bass singer
- 1902Meets Rimsky-Korsakov: and begins studying with him
- 1910The Firebird: first triumph for the Ballets Russes
- 1911Petrushka: colourful puppet ballet
- 1913The Rite of Spring: premiere causes uproar in Paris
- 1920Pulcinella: launches his neoclassical period
- 1939Moves to the United States: settling in Los Angeles
- 1971Dies in New York: buried on the island of San Michele in Venice
Did you know?He appeared on the cover of Time magazine and, in 1962, was invited back to the Soviet Union for a celebrated return visit after nearly fifty years away.
