Stravinsky is one of the more modern composers who although alive and composing in the beginning of the twentieth century can still be classed as a modern composer…..just! His music was more harmonic than melodic, many of the themes he uses are not easy to come out humming unless you have heard them quite a few times, catchy tunes are not his style. Unlike may other composers he was not a virtuoso of performance and many of his early compositions demonstrate a lack of maturity. His mature stage can be seen to start in 1910 when 'The Firebird' is performed. In this the influence of Rimsky-Korsakov can be seen with chromaticisms and notable ...  Read the complete review

Stravinsky has got to have been one of the most influential composers in all history. Almost everything written in the 20th century owes something to his influence, from the pure 'holy minimalism' of Arvo Part, to the film music of John Williams, and the American minimalists. As a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov he started out writing very colourful orchestral music, similar to that of his teacher, but quickly turned aside to develop a new type of music, in which the driving force is rhythm and not harmony. His most revolutionary work, The Rite of Spring, gained him a rotten vegetable and cat-call reception at its premiere, but has quickly become one of the ...  Read the complete review