From 12 June to 15 August, an exhibition “The composer of two continents” timed to the 130th anniversary of Russian composer and conductor Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) runs in the Music and audio materials reading room (room 305).
I. Stravinsky’s creative life is the living history of music of the 20th century. Like a mirror, it reflects the development of art of that time, which inquisitive searched for new ways. The composer had got a reputation as an impudent subversive of traditions. His music embodying a plurality of styles, which constantly cross, is sometimes difficult to be classified. Claiming that “music is capable to express only itself”, I. Stravinsky, nevertheless, aspired to live “con Tempo” (i.e. together with the time).
The composer’s universalism is amazing. It manifests in the breadth of comprehension of the phenomena of world musical culture, in the variety of creative search, in the intensity of performing – pianistic and conductor’s – activity which had proceeded more than 40 years.
The scales of his personal contacts with outstanding people are unprecedented: N. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. Lyadov, A. Glazunov, V. Stasov, S. Dyagilev, A. Matisse, P. Picasso, R. Rolland, T. Mann, A. Gide, C. Chaplin, K. Debussy, M. Ravel, A. Schoenberg, P. Hindemith, M. de Falla, G. Foret, E. Satie and many others. All his life the composer was in the center of public attention, on a crossroads of the major artistic ways. The geography of his life covers many countries.
The individual style and the means of expressiveness of I. Stravinsky remained and still remain characteristic only for him, making the unique musical language and the way of thinking. He was one of the first composers to discover new musical-structural elements in folklore, he assimilated some modern intonations (for example, jazz), brought a lot of new to metronymic organization, orchestration, treatment of genres. By the force of influence upon public, Igor Stravinsky’s music is often compared to the paintings of Pablo Picasso.
The exhibition presents over 100 documents. This is printed music by the composer, represented by different genres. Among them: ballets “Petrushka”, “Firebird”, “The Sacred Spring”, Fairy’s Kiss”, the ballet-pantomime “The Story of a Soldier” including libretto and the author’s articles about the creation of this work, the one-act ballets “Orpheus”, “Agon” , and also the opera “Mavra”, symphonies, chamber-instrumental ensembles, pieces for the piano, choruses a capella, romances, songs etc.
Visitors of the exhibition can listen to the above-listed works in the Music and audio materials reading room.
The exposition is completed with books and articles about the composer.
Contact phone number: (+375-17) 293-27-52.
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