From the archive, 7 April 1971: Stravinksy, the towering genius

Originally published in the Guardian on 7 April 1971Igor Stravinsky has died in New York at the age of 88. It was obvious half a century ago that his three early Diaghilev ballets – "Firebird", "Petrushka" and "Rite of Spring" – were classics, but instead of resting on that unique achievement he ranged wider in search of new fields to conquer. He lived long enough to see his many stylistic experiments justified. In his eighties he remained more consistently creative than any other great comp...

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