Symphony in Three Movements

The Symphony in Three Movements is the first work Igor Stravinsky completed aft er becoming an American citizen. He permitted elements of various unfinished compositions to flow into this work, such as a piano concerto, recognisable in the first movement through its virtuoso role for the piano, and music for the Hollywood film The Song of Bernadette, which appears in the second movement. Having begun work on the composition during the Second World War, Stravinsky termed it his ‘War Symphony’. This offers an explanation for the dynamic force and focus on rhythmic elements that are a feature of the work. Certain passages are also reminiscent of Le sacre du printemps, which Stravinsky was reorchestrating during the same period.