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Product Description
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was the inventor of modern music, comparable in versatility and influence to his close friend and contemporary Pablo Picasso. Famous for ballets, he composed neo-Classical and serialist works, but his style, while variable, was always highly distinctive. He has been the subject of a vast literature of musical analysis and biographical anecdote, and his scores, sketches and voluminous personal papers have been much studied.This book sets all of Stravinsky's major works into context without using overly academic language, making the subject accessible to a wide range of readers. The author devotes particular attention to Stravinsky's childhood in pre-Revolutionary Russia, the formative influence of which the composer acknowledged in later life. His discovery by the great impresario Diaghilev, his fruitful collaborations with such choreographers as Mikhail Fokine and George Balanchine, and with many of the great dancers (Nijinsky, Karsavina), painters and designers (Bakst, Picasso) of his time are fully described, as well as his relationships with writers such as Cocteau, Gide and WH Auden. Above all the book concentrates on Stavinsky's creativity, describing how his musical mind worked and relating this to his complex and fascinating personality.
About the Author
Michael Oliver, who sadly died in 2002, was a well known as a writer and broadcaster, having written and compiled numerous programmes for BBC Radio 3 and written regularly for Gramophone and other magazines for over 20 years
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this to accompany the 22 disc Sony CD set and it does that job brilliantly. It is an attractive and brief book - 230 pages, filled with photos (probably less than half the pages are text) - that is very readable and (obviously) very brief. But it manages to take us through Stravinsky's life in sufficient detail for describing, in context, his most important works (most or perhaps all the works included in the Sony set are covered as are works that are not in that set). The desriptions of the music are not technical but they are effective and memorable - they do help you to listen out for new aspects or to listen afresh. The impact the works had on the world at large and on Stravinsky's career is covered but none of the works is subject to a musical analysis (look elsewhere if that is what you seek). The author - Michael Oliver - has also written a two volume biography of Stravinsky that is generally considered recommendable. This little book certainly is.
1 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the greatest bargain and perhaps the most illuminating issue in the history of music recording, and very economically presented. The individual pieces have had some better performances, but Stravinsky's own involvement make this unsurpassed as a document. It is in fact by no means 'complete': in particular it would have been rewarding to have had the original versions of some works, especially those for string quartet. And not surprisingly you will have to look elsewhere for lyrics and libretti, let alone background notes. But anybody with the slightest interest in music should buy this immediately, before Sony realise what a gift it is and withdraw it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
A Accurate Account of A 20th Century Master
16 July 2001
Format:Paperback
Igor Stravinsky is truly one of the giants, if not the giant, of 20th century music. Michael Oliver accurately captures the essence of the man and his music in this book about the man and his life and times.
First of all, the book is well written. The music is described thoroughly and there is also a discography as well as a catalogue of the works written by Stravinsky. For the most part, this book is a biography with its central focus on Stravinsky. We meet various characters that played an important role in Stravinsky's life including the impresario Serge Diaghilev. I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to be enlightened about one of the giants of twentieth century music.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
The little known Stravinsky
11 Sep 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an interesting little book about a somewhat overlooked composer. The author has packed it with a number of surprising details of his private life which help give insight into his creative genius. Additionally, he spent a great deal of time analyzing each of his major works and then lining them up to demonstrate the evolution of his final imprint on music. Near the end of his life, for instance, the influence of Arnold Schoenberg's twelve note serial techniques began to seep into Stravinsky's works for the first time - something he had long resisted. Finally, the book is filled with rare and long forgotten photographs of the man and his time and these alone are almost worth the price of the book.
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