Which Stravinsky chamber work from 1923 is a key piece of his neoclassical period?

The 1923 Stravinsky chamber work that became a key piece of his neoclassical period is the Octet for wind instruments.

Igor Stravinsky completed the Octet in 1923, scoring it for an unusual blend of winds: flute, clarinet, two bassoons, two trumpets, tenor trombone, and bass trombone. Its bright, dry sonority sharply contrasts with the large orchestral colors of his earlier ballets.

The work is widely regarded as the beginning of Stravinsky’s neoclassical phase because it adopts classical forms, including sonata form, variation, and fugue. Stravinsky’s own essay about the piece also made its formal principles unusually explicit.

A common mix-up is its date and status: the Octet was completed in 1923, although it is sometimes described as a 1922–23 work, and the opera Mavra had already shown several neoclassical traits. The Octet remains the clearest landmark of the transition.