(Anna Galayda’s article appeared in Russia Beyond the Headlines, 9/4; Photo: classicstogo.nl)
The legendary musician lived for 88 years (1882-1971). He witnessed some of the most dramatic events of the 20th century, which found a vivid expression in his works.
One of the most radical composers of the 20th century was the son of an opera singer, who in many ways embodied the musical tradition of the 19th century. Bass Fyodor Ignatievich Stravinsky was awarded the rare title of an Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters, in which he had served for a quarter of a century. He had 59 operas in his repertoire. Some of his signature roles included Varlaam in Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky, Farlaf in Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka, Miller in Rusalka by Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Orlik in Mazepa by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
Stravinsky Sr. was a prominent figure on the St. Petersburg cultural scene. Ilya Repin used him as a model for one of the Cossacks in his famous painting Zaporozhian Cossacks Write a Letter to the Turkish Sultan; and Fyodor Dostoevsky was a guest in the singer’s house.
2. He became a composer thanks to Rimsky-Korsakov
The composer often described Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov as his second father. Having entered – at the insistence of his family – the law faculty of St. Petersburg University, Stravinsky never had any formal music education. Rimsky-Korsakov discerned his original gift, dissuaded him from entering the Conservatory, and for two years gave him private lessons himself, thus playing a decisive role in Stravinsky’s professional development.
