Igor Stravinsky's Divertimento for Violin and Piano (1932) is one of a number of offspring from the composer's ballet Le baiser de la fée (The Fairy's Kiss) (1928). In addition to the violin-and=piano} work, Stravinsky also made an orchestral suite from the ballet (also titled Divertimento) in 1934. The ballet itself is based on songs by Tchaikovsky and readily evokes the style of the earlier Russian master with its sweet, delicate melodies and sequential repetitions. Musicologist Laurence Morton notes that Stravinsky replaces Tchaikovsky's "banalities and vulgarities and routine procedures" with his own trademark asymmetry and an element of unpredictability.

The original music from Le baiser de la fée is altered somewhat in the Divertimento: Stravinsky shortens some sections and adds new endings to others. The violin-and-piano} version of the Divertimento was a collaborative effort between Stravinsky and violinist Samuel Dushkin, who performed much of the composer's music. There are four movements: Sinfonia, Danses suisses, Scherzo, and Pas de deux: Adagio, Variation, Coda.



© All Music Guide