Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum, near St. Petersburg. His father was a bass singer at the Imperial Opera House. In 1903 he was introduced to Rimsky-Korsakov and became his student in 1907. The following year he performed his first symphony (op. 1). Although the First Symphony follows a traditional musical language, it still deserves an occasional performance today. The orchestral piece "Fireworks" (1908) was written to celebrate the wedding of Nadya Rimskaya Korsakova and M. Steinberg, and has a clearly identifiable Stravinsky Characteristics, but his personality did not begin to emerge until he met Diaghilev and wrote his first ballet, The Firebird (Paris, 1910). "The Firebird" may have a touch of Rimsky-Korsakov in its orchestral coloring, but in other respects it precedes "Petrushka" (1911) and "The Rite of Spring" (1913). The latter two works were also written for Diaghilev's troupe. The premiere of "The Rite of Spring" at the Théatre des Champs-élysées, conducted by Pierre Mond, caused one of the most famous commotions in the history of music. It is different from Wagner's transphonism. It mainly focuses on rhythm to create noisy effects, and even the harmony that often produces tonal collisions is mainly percussive.