Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Written by Nurel Javissyarqi
Translated by Agus B. Harianto

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971), is Russian composer. He became famous in magazine “TIME”, he has a hobby of varying tones, when he is exploiting the element of rhythm. This time I was accompanied by pianist Yuja Wang via You Tube in her musical playing “Petrouchka”. Or “Petrushka”, a ballet with music by the composer Igor Stravinsky. Petrushka is the story of a traditional Russian doll made of straw, with a bag of sawdust as a body, but it comes to life to develop emotions. Superficially story resembles a Pinocchio story, but there may be many similarities with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. According to Andrew Wachtel: Petrushka is a masterpiece combining music, ballet, choreography and history in a perfect balance. This is similar to Richard Wagner’s Gesamtkunstwerk, the Russian approach. (Concocted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrushka_% 28ballet% 29)

Petrushka music solely is music; it was in front of musical poet and not in his heart. It doesn’t engender thinking as well as depictions, it is purely objective, it is not commented by libretto, on the contrary libretto gave comment.
A strange personality. Undeniable it is the greatest art of music at this era. Stravinsky was far away from romanticism and impressionism. For Stravinsky the music is free energy, as a matter of mathematical or logical thinking, gravity or wind. It is separated from the human—not-subjectivism—apart from the world, not a depiction. It doesn’t analyze the psyche, does not depict objects, but merely provides the sound. The art of Stravinsky doesn’t show the evolution. Each of Stravinsky’s creation is always new, unlike the previous. Each composition can be viewed on its own. (J. Van Ackere, books of “Musik Abadi” (Eternal Music), translated by J. A. Dungga, Gunung Agung Djakarta, n.d, the original book entitles “Eeuwige Muziek”, published by NV Standaard-Boekhandel, Antwerpen, Belgie)
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Stravinsky’s music fully invited to think of human intelligence. It doesn’t perform a cluster of the heart of longing, there is a peculiarity of life.

For him, the future can be thoughtful by out of the heart. No dreams, all are the dynamic brain.

Breaths of logic, the acceleration of the softness of certain law, the composition of stars in their places.

But with a certain distance the depiction t can be captured, though dry. All brushwork of tones were calculated, it appears to give cavity of breath, even though looks awkward.

When the music has been fused in the memory of listeners, enchantment would be exist. Amazement to check the content of work, received too beautiful for dynamic personal.

Life increased, graphics requires precision, for the sake sphere arrangement used with seriousness of life.

Surely it has no the heart seduction, except reflected from the mind. Expectations from hard and fully carefulness dreaming to be the basis as such sketch of the focused building.

No more than estimation mathematically, the space was filled with repeated researching, examinations rule out the feeling, just left balance of thinking.

The strength derived from logical entity, the playing published another beauty, a music that keeps human.

When Stravinsky presented his music by taken Petrushka story, it was really alive.

Collaborators was mutually reinforcing existing values, from the folk tale, philosophical character, it is also the natural elegance.

Thus, what seemed so dry still have the breath of memories, as well as the awkward enhances the meditation.

Moreover, it is assisted by a ballet dance which was danced by the women too. Hence, history of supporting the music has the most beautiful breath.

As if the shimmering of high-rises, sky-bridges connecting the islands, or the grandest statue in the middle of town.

There was some that be blown from him, though it did not depart from the line of emotional.

In Stravinsky is reflected the character of formula searcher, he often found it from his research into dead-end spheres.

His parts of finding are compacted such as mathematicians seek a new theory, to be more easily understood than the previous composition.

He is not a musical poet who follows the instinct of wind and the change the heart, he is not a traveler of felt body, then expressed in the form of work.

But, he explored the sounds in a laboratory of reasonable tones. Side of students who obeyed to the rules without forget to suspect the results of working.

Here’s the secret, why every his creation was always new, different with achievements in advance.