Stravinsky’s masterpiece. Popular classical music.
Among his signature works are the ballet scores The Rite of Spring and The Firebird, and when it comes to a Russian composer who epitomizes the 20th century in the classical world, that would be Igor Stravinsky.
Stravinsky’s style is often marked by technical complexity and challenging harmonies and rhythms; many of his pieces are not easily embraced by general audiences.
Yet his avant-garde approach has continued to shock with each listening and made him one of the musicians who exerted a wide-ranging influence on the arts from the 20th century onward.
Here, I’ll list and introduce Stravinsky’s works—from the most representative to those that might make you think, “Wait, this is by Stravinsky too?”
Whether you find them accessible or not is up to you—do give them a listen!
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Stravinsky’s masterpieces: Popular classical music (31–40)
Fairy’s KissIgor Stravinsky
It is a ballet set in Switzerland, based on music by Tchaikovsky.
The premiere took place in 1928, 35 years after Tchaikovsky’s death, with Stravinsky himself conducting.
The choreography at that time was created by Bronislava Nijinska.
Fantastical ScherzoIgor Stravinsky
It is an orchestral piece composed in 1908 by Stravinsky, inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck’s work The Life of the Bee.
Stravinsky’s mentor, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, is said to have praised it highly after seeing the score.
Concerto for StringsIgor Stravinsky
It is a concerto composed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Basel Chamber Orchestra founded by Paul Sacher, and it is also known as the Basel Concerto.
The premiere, conducted by Sacher, took place in 1947.
It is sometimes used as ballet music.
foxIgor Stravinsky
It is a one-act ballet completed in 1917, subtitled “A Burlesque for Singing and Dancing.” Its premiere took place in 1922; Stravinsky himself praised the performance highly, but the audience’s reception appears to have been lukewarm.
Symphony for Wind InstrumentsIgor Stravinsky
This piece was composed to commemorate Debussy, who passed away in 1918.
Its premiere, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky, took place in 1921, but it seems it was not very well received at the time.
The performance lasts about nine minutes.
fireworksIgor Stravinsky
It’s a masterpiece whose orchestral timbres shine vividly.
Though it’s under five minutes long, it captures the full dynamism of light and sound that unfurls in an instant.
Premiered on January 9, 1910, the piece evokes a thrilling sensation, as if fireworks were exploding right before your eyes.
Marked by shifting rhythms and richly colorful orchestration, it leaves a powerful impression on listeners.
It’s an ideal choice for those just getting into classical music or anyone who wants to experience its allure through a short piece.
If you’d like to immerse yourself in a brilliant sonic world, be sure to give it a listen.
Three Movements from PetrushkaIgor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky, the great Russian composer who left numerous masterpieces characterized by primitivism, neoclassicism, and serialism.
His Three Movements from Petrushka is one of his signature piano works.
The piece is extraordinarily difficult; it was created after the great pianist Arthur Rubinstein asked Stravinsky to write “the most difficult piece ever.” It can be considered challenging in every respect—requiring agile fingerwork, stamina, wide leaps on the keyboard, and deep expressivity.
3rd movement from PetrushkaIgor Stravinsky
Stravinsky employed a variety of compositional techniques depending on the era, including primitivism, neoclassicism, and twelve-tone methods.
Today, his popularity is concentrated around ballet music such as The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, and Petrushka is one of these as well—this is its piano arrangement.
Four Etudes, Op. 7 No. 4Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky, an innovative composer who epitomized the 20th century, was born in Russia in 1882 and rose to fame with his ballet scores such as The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring.
His youthful work Four Etudes, Op.
7—especially the fourth—has long been known as a piece of high technical and expressive difficulty.
While inheriting the traditions of classical music, this work also bears his unique creative interpretation.
Its rhythmic, energetic character reveals the early stirrings of the pulse and dynamism that would mark his later compositions.
Savor this piece and experience the development of Stravinsky’s compositional style.
Italian SuiteIgor Stravinsky
Although it is a piece from the modern era, it is composed based on a Baroque-style idiom.
It selects several memorable numbers from the ballet Pulcinella, and it is also performed on instruments like the cello.
As it progresses toward the latter half, harmonies characteristic of contemporary music appear more frequently, as if the composer’s true nature gradually emerges.