# Where to go next with Stravinsky



## Pieck (Jan 12, 2011)

I love the Rite of Spring
heard some other stuff that didnt click for me.
Your thoughts:


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## Rasa (Apr 23, 2009)

Petrouchka and Pulcinella are very listenable


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## KJohnson (Dec 31, 2010)

His Octet... It's simply delightful. You might like Symphony of Psalms too.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Symphony in C


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

Personal favorites are the Symphony in C and the Dumbarton Oaks Concerto.


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

Good suggestions here. The Concerto for Piano and Winds can be worth a listen, though I have a sneeking suspicion that his more neo-classical stuff is what "didn't click", in which case some of the other suggestions here aren't going to click either. In my opinion the Symphony of Wind Instruments is one of the works where it's the easiest to tell that it's by the same composer who made The Rite. I feel it has lots of similarites, but of course in a much less explosive, more toned down way. There's also the Ragtime for 11 Instruments, a light but rhythmically fun work, that includes a cimbalom, making it sound kinda exotic.


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Obscure suggestion from me.

His Ebony Concerto. It's written for a jazz band and sounds like the soundtrack to a modern film noir.

I'll also second Norse's comments about Symphony of Wind Instruments.

Also, try his last ballet Agon. A rare example of pretty enjoyable 12-tone composition. It seems to incorporate elements from all his periods.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Seeing this thread and remembering a similar one from before, brings the question to my mind - do people ever think of Stravinsky as a 'one hit wonder'? I mean I know he had successes with Firebird and Petroushka etc but I never hear people rave about these other works in the same way as The Rite of Spring. I don't know if I've ever come across a composer where so much praise all seems to be concentrated on one particular work.


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## KJohnson (Dec 31, 2010)

tdc said:


> I don't know if I've ever come across a composer where so much praise all seems to be concentrated on one particular work.


Carl Orff.


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

tdc said:


> Seeing this thread and remembering a similar one from before, brings the question to my mind - do people ever think of Stravinsky as a 'one hit wonder'? I mean I know he had successes with Firebird and Petroushka etc but I never hear people rave about these other works in the same way as The Rite of Spring. I don't know if I've ever come across a composer where so much praise all seems to be concentrated on one particular work.


Vivaldi's Four Seasons, maybe. Bizet's Carmen for another.

For less esteemed composers, Dukas is only really known for one work.

Ooh, Gorecki and his 3rd Symphony.


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

tdc said:


> Seeing this thread and remembering a similar one from before, brings the question to my mind - do people ever think of Stravinsky as a 'one hit wonder'? I mean I know he had successes with Firebird and Petroushka etc but I never hear people rave about these other works in the same way as The Rite of Spring. I don't know if I've ever come across a composer where so much praise all seems to be concentrated on one particular work.


Personally I have never thought of Stravinsky in this way, and to be honest I dont' think it's very common to do so. The Rite is the work that often appears more or less alone from Stravinsky in very basic, short histories of music as the big, bombshell revolutionary work of the early 20th century, just like Tristan und Isolde is what gets mentioned from Wagner. The Rite is his "top work", but many of his other works are way too well-known for him to deserve the one-hit-wonder label, IMO.

In addition to Orff, I think Holst (The Planets) is another candidate for someone from more recent times who is closer to the one-hit-wonder than Stravinsky.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Argus said:


> His Ebony Concerto. It's written for a jazz band and sounds like the soundtrack to a modern film noir.


I haven't paid much attention to that one. I'll have to listen again with the film noir soundtrack concept in mind. Maybe it will click this time.


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## Pieck (Jan 12, 2011)

Thanks guys, I'm going to listen to the Symphony for Wind Instruments first and check how it works for me.


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## Pieck (Jan 12, 2011)

tdc said:


> Seeing this thread and remembering a similar one from before, brings the question to my mind - do people ever think of Stravinsky as a 'one hit wonder'? I mean I know he had successes with Firebird and Petroushka etc but I never hear people rave about these other works in the same way as The Rite of Spring. I don't know if I've ever come across a composer where so much praise all seems to be concentrated on one particular work.


Vitali, Allegri, Albeniz(?)


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Personally, I adore Renard. It's such a wonderful piece, and rather amusing as well. An English translation of it is a good thing to have, though, unless your Russian is considerably better than mine. I also third, fourth (?) the suggestion of the Symphonies of Wind Instruments. 
Also Petroushka. I actually prefer it to the Rite.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Pieck said:


> Where to go next with Stravinsky


No where.

 Just kidding, Firebird is great, and some of his early, more Russian works.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I very much enjoy his "Card Game, ballet in three deals." It's a lot lighter than many pieces mentioned here but is great mischievous fun. I understand one is to try and spot the quotes and allusions to other pieces including works of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Rossini, and others. I haven't listened to it in that way yet, I usually just enjoy the quirky music.

I also enjoy his Symphony in three movements more than his other symphonies, it also sounding a bit film noirish.


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## Guest (May 5, 2011)

_Le Sacre,_ while clearly by the same person who wrote _Petrushka,_ especially in Dorati's second recording of it, is _sui generis._ For listeners, that is often seen as unfortunate. "We want more!"

Well, you can't have more. _Le Sacre_ is the only piece by Stravinsky that does all those things _Le Sacre_ does.

But the closest piece to _Le Sacre,_ the one with primitive elements used with sophistication, with pounding but complex rhythms, with lots of melodies that seem only to reveal themselves after many listenings, is _Les Noces._

If you really need some "more of the same" before you go on to the other stuff, which is also very fine, then _Les Noces_ is the closest you're gonna get. But who knows? Maybe after that, which is, after all, quite different--quite quite different--you'll be ready for all the other really fine stuff. _L'histoire du soldat. Threni. Symphony in Three Movements, Movements for Piano and Orchestra, Apollo, Orpheus._

Actually, the closest pieces to _Le Sacre du Printemps_ are by other people than Stravinsky, as, come to think of it, one might expect. Creative artists don't want to keep doing the same thing they already did, but they do get fired up by other people's stuff and like to give that kind of thing a try themselves. Hence Prokofiev's _Scythian Suite_ (what's left of his _Ala & Lolly_ ballet), and Varèse's _Amériques,_ for example.

Indeed, _Le Sacre_'s influence on twentieth century music was enormous, on Stravinsky himself, though, negligible.

As it should be.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

I think the dilemma with Stravinsky is not that he was a one-hit wonder (far from that!), but rather that the Rite is just so darn good that it's become a sort of emblem... and beyond that almost every other work of his is pretty darn good as well. It's really hard to choose, but ultimately it's all worth it.

The _Symphony of Psalms_ is my favorite work by Stravinsky besides the Rite, and I think this recording is a great place to go since it contains all three of his wonderful symphonies:










It's kind of a psychological thriller, from the menacing, savage chorus of voices in the first movement to the eerily introverted, yet beautiful fugal melody of the second movement.

As some guy so well pointed out, Stravinsky's greatest influence seemed to be much more on his contemporaries rather than on his own music. He was just one of those composers who didn't really have a smooth progression in style but rather composed in "phases" that each tried to break away from the phase before it. Anyhow, if you like the Rite you should definitely check out the works some guy mentioned and others: Prokofiev's _Scythian Suite_, Varese's _Ameriques_, Villa-Lobos's _Rudepoêma_ (or "Le Sacre du Printemps meets the Brazilian jungle"), and so on.

The Varese especially will open up a whole bunch of new doors in C20th music, which is fun considering that it's all under the umbrella of Stravinsky's influence.


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## bassClef (Oct 29, 2006)

I second the motion for Symphony in C - I find it a quite dazzling piece, though Firebird is probably closest thing to the Rite. Try The Fairy's Kiss too - different again but it has a magical quality. Stravinsky is definitely no one-hit-wonder!


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)




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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

For the record I never thought Stravinsky was a one hit wonder either, all though I am unfamiliar with many of his works aside from mainly the three I previously mentioned (The Rite, Firebird, Petrouchka). I felt that posing the question would likely elicit some interesting discussion, and it has. :tiphat:


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## Pieck (Jan 12, 2011)

After 5 or 6 listenings to the Sym for Winds I can say I like it! It's really sweet. now listening to the Ebony Concerto... @$^?


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## vamos (Oct 9, 2009)

I don't think of Stravinsky as a one hit wonder. I mainly just think The Rite of Spring is so good as to overshadow most everything else from the time surrounding it. That's just my opinion though, and there are certain moods where I wouldn't want to listen to it.

But when it hits, it really is unparalleled, in my opinion.

I understand it's mechanism quite deeply. I've found that my personal relation to that piece is rather uncommon. I've understood how it works for some time now and I look forward to creating something for the 21st century that hopefully will create a similar cultural effect. 

diabolical laughter




This suggestion may initially seem shitfaced, but here goes:

Debussey: 'La Mer.'

The way the piece progresses is similar in function and form. It builds upon each idea in basically 'blocks' of sound, rhythm and harmony. So each block carries these 'mini themes' and rhythms through to the next. It's not a favorite of mine, but it once interested me very deeply.



'Ameriques' by Varese has some parallel qualities.


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## Pieck (Jan 12, 2011)

vamos said:


> This suggestion may initially seem shitfaced, but here goes:
> 
> Debussey: 'La Mer.'
> 
> ...


Not a big fan of La Mer. I'll look up for Varese


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

Circus Polka
Symphony #1 in E Flat


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Le Sacre is so good, I need nothing else from Stravinsky. One of the greatest and astonishingly original masterpieces of all time.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Bumping this, Agree with Someguy the closest parallel to a 'raw,' primitivist and very Slavic accented sound is Les Noces, which is imo an equal to the greatness of Le Sacre.

Neoclassical to the hilt, but with a percussive drive, his concerto for two pianos is another masterpiece which just might appeal at this stage.

The neoclassical and later serial phase may take the OP, as it has many others, some time to come around to. There is no second replication of the qualities of Le Sacre by the same composer, and whatever the reason I can't imagine wanting to compose, essentially, pretty much the same piece again.

Other composer's works also dealing with a pre or non-Christian world, or antique primitive cultures are maybe closer to having a similar visceral effect. Again, Someguy said it first, Prokofiev's _Scythian Suite_, from a ballet about pagan Russia written within a year post Le Sacre, which was very much written in reaction to Le Sacre, with Prokofiev's nose more than a little out of joint due to Stravinsky's rousing success with Le Sacre 

...and not yet mentioned here, Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin (please, the full length ballet and not a suite, please,) is pretty much that composer's 'primitivist' piece, his "le sacre."

Stravinsky's output from start to finish of his career, both the larger and smaller scale works all clearly bear the mark of a master with all his powers intact. The consistency of quality from piece to piece, throughout his career, is freakishly high, too.

That many people only know of the first three ballets commissioned by Diaghilev is either due to very bad texts, or....


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

If the neo-classical stuff isnt a problem, don't forget L'Histoire du Soldat.


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## spradlig (Jul 25, 2012)

I'm not a big Stravinsky fan, except for his Big Three operas, but I like his Violin Concerto. That probably means it's at least pretty good. I also like his _Pulcinella_ suite (I don't know if the suite is taken from a larger work or how many version(s) of the piece exist). I think the Pulcinella Suite is his arrangement of music by Pergolesi, so I don't know how valid it is to describe Stravinsky as its "composer". I like it, regardless of who deserves the credit.


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## Petwhac (Jun 9, 2010)

I think the Concerto For Piano And Wind Instruments shows a lot of the rhythmic invention and drive of the Rite but more economically (neo-classically). This rendition is one of the funkiest 'in the pocket' ones I've heard. After the Largo introduction the Allegro kicks in at about 2'15" and boy does it fly. This is how Stravinsky should be played!





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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

spradlig said:


> I also like his _Pulcinella_ suite (I don't know if the suite is taken from a larger work or how many version(s) of the piece exist). I think the Pulcinella Suite is his arrangement of music by Pergolesi, so I don't know how valid it is to describe Stravinsky as its "composer". I like it, regardless of who deserves the credit.


By the time he's done with it (and it's music by a number of composers, not just Pergolesi), it ends up sounding like Stravinsky anyway. Just like with Fairy's Kiss, it's substantially enough his work to call his own.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

tdc said:


> Seeing this thread and remembering a similar one from before, brings the question to my mind - do people ever think of Stravinsky as a 'one hit wonder'? I mean I know he had successes with Firebird and Petroushka etc but I never hear people rave about these other works in the same way as The Rite of Spring. I don't know if I've ever come across a composer where so much praise all seems to be concentrated on one particular work.


I'm sure they do, but in my case I first heard Stravinsky from a Columbia LP of *Petroushka, *and that was my "imprint." I loved this music immediately, and went to the piano to figure out that white-key piano part, so delightful.

When I did hear *Rite, *I was astounded. Never had I heard harmonic sounds and meanings like that. It was if something ancient and primeval had been tapped-into. It was literally mind-expanding.

Since then, I felt I owed it to myself to explore all of his music. The Stravinsky import box, at around $30, is the best purchase I ever made.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

millionrainbows said:


> I'm sure they do, but in my case I first heard Stravinsky from a Columbia LP of *Petroushka, *and that was my "imprint." I loved this music immediately, and went to the piano to figure out that white-key piano part, so delightful.
> 
> When I did hear *Rite, *I was astounded. Never had I heard harmonic sounds and meanings like that. It was if something ancient and primeval had been tapped-into. It was literally mind-expanding.
> 
> Since then, I felt I owed it to myself to explore all of his music. The Stravinsky import box, at around $30, is the best purchase I ever made.


I've long hesitated buying this set because as we all know, Stravinsky wasn't the best conductor of his own work. That being said, would you still recommend this set?


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Lope de Aguirre said:


> I've long hesitated buying this set because as we all know, Stravinsky wasn't the best conductor of his own work. That being said, would you still recommend this set?


Yep. At the price, it's worth it. You get all of Stravinsky's major works (and the vast majority of the minor ones). The performances, while rarely definitive (maybe The Rake's Progress), are usually quite passable, no-frills renditions, and the vintage 50s-60s analogue sound still sounds great today (there are a handful of earlier recordings on one of the discs).


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## spradlig (Jul 25, 2012)

I'm not a big fan of his, but I like his Violin Concerto and his Pulcinella Suite (that suite may have several versions/forms).


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