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 Russian
composer Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) is widely considered
one of the most innovative and influential composers of the 20th
century. While his early works show the influence of his Russian
background and his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov, later works such as
The Firebird, Petrushka, and the Rite of Spring transformed
and reworked these traditional themes into works of astonishing
modernity. However, works such as The Soldier’s Tale
and Les Noces soon gave way to a more neoclassical period
that saw Stravinsky using music of the past for his own purposes.
Toward the end of his life, Stravinsky’s friendship with the
young conductor Robert Craft introduced him to Schoenberg’s
12-tone school, a discovery that would prove the catalyst for his
final stylistic development. Still a favorite of audiences today,
Stravinsky’s pushing of the musical boundaries of his time
forever transformed the way composers and listeners approached music.
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