Many casual listeners think of Igor Stravinsky as serious, heavy, and hard-to-understand, but readers may be surprised at how much information is provided in this well-researched book on the composer (1882-1971) about such populist subjects as Hollywood and Walt Disney. Here musicologist and composer Maconie (Avant Garde: An American Odyssey from Gertrude Stein to Pierre Boulez) offers an in-depth, well-documented look at all of Stravinsky's works. (The composer did work closely with Disney on Fantasia and spent years in Hollywood.) Maconie hopes readers will not just listen to but experience the "manufactured" music Stravinsky loved to produce. In fact, the composer relished working with Disney Studios, a film conglomerate that believed animation needed to be choreographed to fit the music, not the reverse. Maconie works hard to place the composer in relation to the world around him. The book includes many quotes from Stravinsky himself, as well as some imagined conversations that keep the text lively. Verdict This accessible book for interested readers features copious footnotes and cited references that make it also a considerable resource for academic study. Library Journal The author uses allusion, analogy, imaginary conversations and quotations from the writings and interviews of the composer to try to understand the major works in the Stravinsky canon. He considers the music from a 'holistic' point of view... It will make a useful addition to the shelves of Stravinsky enthusiasts. Music Web International A magnificent tour de force. -- David Pickett, Fugato.com Wonderful! While other authors have noted Stravinsky's fascination with things mechanical, Experiencing Stravinsky takes this interest as one of its thesis points and is the best coverage of the topic I've read. -- Mark John McFarland, Georgia State University [A] very good read... that I enjoyed it a lot, even where I found myself demurring. -- Roger Savage
