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 Stravinsky
: A Creative Spring : Russia and France, 1882-1934
by Stephen
Walsh
Already noted
for a book on his subject's art (The Music of Stravinsky),
Stephen Walsh is equally illuminating about Igor Stravinsky's
turbulent life. This first installment of a projected two-volume
work covers the years 1882 to 1934, during which time Walsh shows
the composer creating many of his famous works, most notably The
Rite of Spring, whose riotous 1913 premiere announced the arrival
of a boldly modern classical music. He follows Stravinsky from
his native Russia to Switzerland and France, as well as a 10-week
tour of America in 1925. Delving into Russian-language documents
seldom consulted by Western scholars, Walsh corrects many factual
errors and, more importantly, makes evident the importance of
Stravinsky's Russian roots and musical training, which the composer
himself often downplayed in later years in order to "cultivate
the image of the 'synthetic' international master." He's
similarly judicious in evaluating Stravinsky's stormy 20-year
association with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and his seldom-adept
juggling of a long-suffering wife and a more sophisticated mistress.
Candid about his distaste for some of Stravinsky's behavior and
character traits, Walsh never seems nasty: "It is the richest
personalities," he reminds us, "who engage us most fully."
-- Wendy Smith (Amazon.com)
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