Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) is perhaps best known for his early ballet music, which he created for Sergei Diaghilev's "Ballets Russes", such as "The Firebird" (1910), "Petrushka" (1911) and "Le Sacre du Printemps" (1913). This work presents information about Stravinsky's life and work.

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) is perhaps best known for his early ballet music, which he created for Sergei Diaghilev's "Ballets Russes", such as "The Firebird" (1910), "Petrushka" (1911) and "Le Sacre du Printemps" (1913). The latter's ground-breaking polytonality and captivating rhythm has inspired many conductors, including Sir Simon Rattle, who, together with a group of Berlin children and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra recorded it in a film called "Rhythm Is It!" Stravinsky, having studied with Rimsky-Korsakov, left Russia in 1910 and first lived in Switzerland and then in France. In 1939, he went to the United States, where he died three decades later. Christopher Lyndon-Gee, himself a composer but equally well known as a conductor of Russian music, has done extensive original research into Stravinsky's life and work.