Igor Strawinsky

The Firebird Suite

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) prepared The Firebird Suite (1911), K010b the year after the sensational success of his ballet L'Oiseau de feu, preserving much of the original's lavish orchestration while selecting five continuous episodes for concert performance. The complete ballet, commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes and based on Russian folk tales surrounding the magical Firebird, premiered at the Paris Opv©ra on June 25, 1910, under the direction of Gabriel Piernv©, instantly establishing the twenty-eight-year-old Stravinsky as a leading figure in modern music. The 1911 suite retains the expansive orchestral forces of the ballet and includes the following movements: 1. Introduction - Jardin enchantv© de KastchevØ et danse de l'oiseau de feu (Introduction - Kashchei's Enchanted Garden and Dance of the Firebird); 2. Supplications de Poiseau de feu (Supplication of the Firebird); 3. Jeu des princesses avec les pommes d'or (The Princesses' Game with the Golden Apples); 4. Ronde des princesses (The Princesses' Khorovod); 5. Danse infernale de tons les sujets de KastchevØ (Infernal Dance of All Kashchei's Subjects). The suite concludes with the terrifying defeat of the evil magician rather than the ballet's final apotheosis. Because of its enormous orchestral requirements, the 1911 suite has been performed less frequently than Stravinsky's later 1919 revision, yet it remains highly valued for preserving the opulent sonorities and dramatic sweep of the original ballet, offering audiences the fullest concert representation of the youthful masterpiece that launched Stravinsky's international career. Instrumentation: 3(3rd dPicc2)+1Picc1.3+1(EH).3(3rd dPiccCl)+BCl.3(3rd dCBsn2)+1(CBsn1): 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(6): 3Hp.Pno.Clst: Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint edition.