Memories and Commentaries

What consolations are found in Robert Craft's amazing conversations with Stravinsky. For artists, Stravinsky comes through as a living colossus sitting next to you. The span of his intellect does impress, and with apparently blithe effort on his part, for it never flashes. It only glows. Stravinsky can open his world with a few chosen sentences; entering those tall doors one can only be subsumed in a vast arc of modern art in the person of one man, one great being. Craft's ardent intellect (wonderful queries all, leading the master in) relaxes within his affection for Stravinsky, not only respect but love too. That fusion of intellect and heart marks the book with a perfect pulse. Stravinsky's words come as unfussy and decisive as his music. His remarks on his time in Ustilug before returning to Petersburg offer loads of insight - Firebird was to come shortly - and throughout the book he leads Craft patiently with, typically, a largesse of economy. I'm struck by the providence of their remarkable relationship, the evocative noble aspects of it - how we've all benefitted! The chemistry that undergirds all the Craft-Stravinsky dialogues indicates Stravinsky knew well the worth of their venture, and saw to it that we might profit. Recommended without reservation.

This is a most interesting set of conversations between Craft and Stravinsky. In many ways it is more personal than the earlier books by Stravinsky and quite frank in his assessments of the artists he knew and current trends in music and art. I cannot say that I agree with all of the master's judgments, but he is Stravinsky and I am not. He is always interesting and amazingly well read in his own art and in others. His anecdotes from events in his career are always interesting and usually enlightening. The photographs reproduced here are especially interesting because of the people Stravinsky is with and what they say about the time and places when the were taken. The book first takes us into his childhood, again, but this time in a most personal way. He then recounts various people he knew and provides us his portrait of them and often includes letters. He then gets directly into questions about music. For music lovers this is the most vital portion of the book. The last section talks about Nightingale, Persephone, and The Rake's Progress. Stravinsky also includes the outline he and Auden developed during their first ten days together working on the opera. Fascinating stuff. A must read for all who love Stravinsky's music and for any general music reader who wants to know about one of the great musical figures of the twentieth century. That it can be had so inexpensively is a real plus!

The book provides an incredible value for those interested in artistic developments in Paris, under Diagilev's "Ballets Russes" leadership. I was impressed by the broadness of Stravinsky's thinking, by his incredible intellect and by his constant quest to explore the new - the ultimate attribute of creativity. The book is full of interesting memories on many famous people.