Listen To ‘Stravinsky Connections’ Podcast

Discover the music of Igor Stravinsky, one of the 20th century’s most iconic composers, in a new podcast series Stravinsky Connections. The five weekly episodes, presented by Jonathan Cross, a respected authority on Stravinsky, and produced by the composer’s publisher Boosey & Hawkes, reevaluate Stravinsky’s legacy fifty years after his death.

Stravinsky’s deep fascination with time and rhythm is explained and the podcasts explore his wider interests across art, literature, myth, faith, dance and jazz. We join the composer’s journey, from 19th century Russian romanticism, through a sequence of pioneering ballets and a new look at classical traditions in the 1920s and 30s, to a radical post-war reinvention in the USA. Stravinsky’s legacy is reassessed and his complex connections with other composers charted throughout his lifetime and beyond. The Stravinsky Connections podcasts feature a selection of musical examples illustrating the wide range of his works.

“The joy of Stravinsky’s output is its variety”

Jonathan Cross explained, “It’s been a great pleasure to work with Boosey & Hawkes to think afresh about the music of Stravinsky in his 50th anniversary year. With so much music vying for listeners’ attention today, how do you interest new, younger audiences in Stravinsky? And how do you invite those already familiar with the music to listen with new ears? The joy of Stravinsky’s output is its variety – of medium, style and expression. What we’ve tried to do in these podcasts is capture some of this remarkable range, and to put Stravinsky’s work in its context. I do hope they offer a helpful ‘way in’ to the music.”

Stravinsky’s legacy is reassessed

Episode 1 of Stravinsky Connections, ‘Stravinsky Today’, available now on Apple Music and Spotify, explores Stravinsky’s ongoing significance and influence. In the fifty years since his death Stravinsky’s principal works have become ever more widely played and recorded – but how well do we actually know him and his music beyond a small handful of frequently performed pieces? With the benefit of hindsight Stravinsky’s output is reassessed.

Episode 2 of Stravinsky Connections, ‘Stravinsky and the Stage’, released on Friday 5 February, examines Stravinsky’s relationship with the stage, both ballet and opera. Episode 3, ‘Stravinsky – Myth, Faith and Memory’, released on Friday 12 February, explores the roles of myth, faith and memory in Stravinsky’s works, from Russian chant to Greek classicism. Episode 4, ‘Stravinsky in the New World’, released on Friday 19 February, looks at Stravinsky’s works created after his relocation to the New World, embracing jazz, serialism and Disney. Episode 5, ‘Stravinsky and the Modern Age’, released on Friday 26 February, explores Stravinsky’s interaction with composers shaping the Modern Age from Debussy, Prokofiev and Bartok through to contemporary music.

Fifty years after his death the music of Igor Stravinsky remains as powerful and as necessary as it has always been.

Listen to Stravinsky Connections podcast series on Apple Music and Spotify.

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