Stravinsky

Stravinsky's career spanned the entire 20th century and reinvented itself repeatedly. His early Russian ballets — The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring — exploded with rhythmic energy and orchestral colour. His Neoclassical period produced elegant works like the Symphony of Psalms. His late serial works explored twelve-tone technique. The premiere of The Rite of Spring in 1913 is the most famous scandal in music history — the audience rioted over the work's pounding rhythms, harsh dissonances, and Nijinsky's provocative choreography. Within a decade, the same piece was hailed as a masterpiece. Stravinsky's influence on rhythm, orchestration, and the very concept of what music could be is immeasurable.