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Pedal Usage
It has already been mentioned that Stravinsky was uncomfortable with
and seldom used the damper pedal, and a glance through the tables confirms
this. The abstinence from use of the damper pedal results in a sharper,
clearer, more percussive tone which is much more in keeping with his
aesthetic. His fondness for the una corda pedal, which is apparent throughout
the orchestral works, is noteworthy, especially in the rather frequent forte
passages which are to be played with this pedal. This again would tend to
reinforce the percussiveness of the piano tone, as the pianist must attack each
note with greater sharpness and precision to obtain a loud tone with the pedal
engaged.

Solo passage-work
Stravinsky's perception of the piano as a solo instrument underwent
major changes throughout his lifetime. In the early works, the solo passages
for piano have a distinctly pianistic character, such as in Petrouchka. When
Stravinsky used the piano, he generally intended to feature it as a concertante
instrument. This attitude still prevailed in the late teens when he wrote
L'Histoire du Soldat. As already has been discussed, he intentionally did not
include piano in it because he felt he would have to make it a vehicle of
virtuosity for the instrument. The solo works for piano and orchestra of his
middle period, the Concerto and the Capriccio, as well the Symphony in Three
Movements, reflected this virtuosic conception. In several of the works of the
1930s, such as Symphony of Psalms and Persephone, he began to integrate the
piano more completely into the orchestral texture, and to rely on it less as a
solo instrument.
This integration became complete in the serial works, in which the piano
is no longer used in the virtuosic sense; instead, it often plays one note at a
time and is exploited more in terms of its tone color. Even in the Movements
for Piano and Orchestra, in which the piano is featured as the solo instrument,