Stravinsky's Ballets

by Charles M. Joseph

Igor Stravinsky, a towering composer of the twentieth century, was closely linked to dance. His early commissions for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes— The Firebird , Petrouchka , and The Rite of Spring —put him on the international map and propelled both ballet and music into the modern age. Even so, these brilliant pieces were but a prelude to Stravinsky's lifelong exploration of dance and dance idioms, as Charles M. Joseph convincingly demonstrates in this penetrating survey of all of the composer's ballet music. Joseph provides superb analyses of each of Stravinsky's ballet pieces, examining the composer's own drafts, notes, and sketches to discover how he conceived of and developed each work. The book also explores how Stravinsky's unorthodox new music energized colleagues, among them George Balanchine, and attracted a glittering array of artists including Tamara Karsavina, Vaslav Nijinski, Picasso, and Jean Cocteau. Joseph creates an intense, intimate portrait of Stravinsky and offers a fresh perspective on the musical revolutionary who changed the definition of music made for dance.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 8, 2011

Reviews

[Mikayla Garren · Rating 4 out of 5]

What you get out of this book will more than likely have to do with the background you come from. I had taken ballet for years and have a small bit of music theory knowledge, so I related much more to the music from a dancer’s perspective. I found listening to the music, knowing some choreographic details, and reading about the entire process was very interesting! However, the book does read a bit like a textbook. As long as you know what you’re getting yourself in for, I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

[Mills College Library]

781.55609 J833 2011

[Alicia Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little long-winded, but worth it. Lots of vocabulary words. Detailed history and analysis of the music, choreography, their interplay, but especially Stravinsky's creative process.