Stravinski's 'Confidences sur la musique' Reveals Unvarnished Views

A new book, 'Confidences sur la musique' (Actes Sud), collects Igor Stravinski's articles and interviews from 1912 to 1939, offering a corrective to common misconceptions about the composer. Contrary to the popular narrative that he evolved from revolutionary to neoclassical to dodecaphonic, Stravinski emerges as a politically incorrect figure—ashamed of Bolshevism and briefly fascist—yet loyal to peers. The writings also reveal a mystic side, influenced by Jacques Maritain. Stravinski rejected the idea of inspiration coming before work, stating it 'always comes while working,' and denied that music initially expresses sentiment. For him, music establishes 'order in things, including and especially between man and time,' producing an emotion distinct from ordinary sensations. He refused the label 'revolutionary,' insisting his focus was solving musical problems with his own genius. The book highlights his impeccable craftsmanship as a universal composer.