Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra “Winds of Spring” Concert Series

was a Russian (and later, a naturalized French and American) composer, pianist and conductor. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential

composers of the 20th century. Stravinsky’s compositional career was notable for its stylistic diversity. He first achieved international fame with three ballets commissioned by the impresarioSergei Diaghilev and first performed in Paris by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring

(1913). The last of these transformed the way in which subsequent composers thought about rhythmic structure and and tonality, and it was largely responsible for Stravinsky’s enduring reputation as a musical revolutionary who pushed the boundaries of musical design. His “Russian phase” was followed in the 1920s by a period in which he turned to music of the past for his inspiration. The Octet, to be performed on this concert, the first work in his Neoclassic style. The works from this period tended to make use of traditional musical forms drawing on earlier styles, especially from the 18th century.