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Russian-born composer (1882-1971) whose distinctive, colorful, constantly evolving style earned him a place among the most influential composers in music history. His ballets The Firebird, Petrouchka, and Rite of Spring represent three central benchmarks of 20th-century music. Uncommonly early ALS in French, one page, 4.5 x 5.5, June 3, 1912. Addressed from Paris, a handwritten letter from Igor Stravinsky to esteemed French composer Louis Aubert, in full (translated): “Dear friend, Come today to the Chatelet – Petrushka is playing – Just ask for Mr. Stravinsky's box. Don't forget to bring the orchestra's share, which I'll need tomorrow.” In fine condition.
A decidedly early letter from the Russian master, whose timeless ballet Petrushka had opened a year earlier on June 13, 1911, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France, to overwhelming success. Written for the 1911 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company, Petrushka was conducted by Pierre Monteux and featured original choreography by Michel Fokine and stage designs and costumes by Alexandre Benois, who assisted Stravinsky with the libretto. Among its stars were Vaslav Nijinsky as Petrushka, Tamara Karsavina as the lead ballerina, Alexander Orlov as the Moor, and Enrico Cecchetti as the charlatan. Although some in St. Petersburg dismissed the work as a patchwork of Russian pop tunes, rural folksong, and ambient noise held together with what Prokofiev called ‘modernist padding,’ Petrushka’s innovative fusion of music, dance, and design has made it one of the most influential ballets ever created—and one of Stravinsky’s most performed and cherished works.
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