Stravinsky! an introduction

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Stravinsky! an introduction

From the moment composer Igor Stravinsky burst into the ballet world with his music for The Firebird in 1910 he became an important musical force. Throughout his career, writing for the stage or the concert hall, he experimented with different musical ideas, producing an amazing range of pieces, and becoming one of the most influential musicians of the century.

Stravinsky's first ballet was composed for the ground-breaking Ballets Russes, led by Russian exile Serge Diaghilev. It was while working with the Ballets Russes some years later that Stravinsky first met the choreographer George Balanchine, a fellow Russian exile.

George Balanchine created over 100 ballets in a career that spanned half a century. He was born in Russia in 1904 and trained as a dancer there. One of a small group of dancers allowed by the Soviet authority to leave the country to perform in 1924, while in London they defected to join the Ballets Russes. Balanchine created his first really successful works for this company and it was there that he and Stravinsky met.

Their relationship was to develop over the next 50 years into one of the most important between a choreographer and composer. Although Balanchine made dances to many composers' music, it was to Stravinsky he returned again and again, predominantly for what are often described as 'pure dance' pieces - pieces without a storyline, dance for the pure pleasure of dance.

This spring Birmingham Royal Ballet performs three ballets from this remarkable partnership in venues throughout England. To find out more about these pieces click on one of the titles below.

Agon
Stravinsky Violin Concerto
Symphony in Three Movements

These pieces make up Stravinsky! a Celebration 2007, part of a collaboration between Birmingham Royal Ballet, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and other Birmingham arts companies to perform all of the work of Igor Stravinsky in a series of ballets and concerts from 2005 to 2008.

All performances are now on sale; full details are available in the 'What's On' section of the website.

News and features index

Stravinsky! an introduction

AgonStravinsky Violin ConcertoSymphony in Three Movements

Agon
Stravinsky Violin Concerto
Symphony in Three Movements