The Firebird Photo: Léon Bakst [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The plot of Stravinsky's ballet 'The Firebird', commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev, revolves around the downfall of the evil magician Kashchei through the intervention of the firebird, whose plumage sparkles and shimmers like shooting flames.
Stravinsky's brilliant scoring mirrors the plot's thematic phantasmagoria: simple folk-like themes that depict the mortals' world, giving way to energetic chromatic outbursts that conjure up the realm of the supernatural.
- Introduction
- The Firebird and its Dance
- Variation of the Firebird
- The Princesses' Khorovod
- Infernal Dance of King Kaschei
- Berceuse (Lullaby)
- Finale
The composer arranged three shorter suites from the ballet music, and this 1919 version is the most widely performed.
Recorded 2 March 2019, Town Hall, Christchurch by RNZ Concert
Sound Engineer: Darryl Stack
