Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971)
Firebird Suite

The Firebird was the first of the three great ballets which Stravinsky wrote for the impresario Serge Diaghilev and his Paris-based "Russian Ballet" company, in the years just before the first world war. (The other two are Petrushka and The Rite of Spring.) He wrote them consecutively, rapidly, and for most people Stravinsky's reputation still rests on these three superb landmarks of 20th century music.

The story is an ancient Russian folk myth of human and supernatural forces. The humans are the hero, Prince Ivan and several princesses. The supernaturals are the Firebird, and the evil Kashchei (described as a green-clawed ogre). Kashchei has a magic garden, where he ensnares women and where men are turned to stone. Straying into the garden, Prince Ivan meets the Firebird, who gives him one of her feathers. He then falls in love with one of the princesses that Kashchei has ensnared. Kashchei appears, and Ivan is about to suffer the usual male fate of petrification when the Firebird reappears, and tells him how he can destroy Kashchei's power by smashing an egg hidden in a casket, which is really Kashchei's soul. Ivan duly smashes the egg, the monster dies, the captives are released, and everyone lives happily ever after.

We play the closing scene from the ballet, which has three parts to it:
- Infernal Dance of Kashchei : aggressive and spiky, and starts with a bang!
- Berceuse : a gentle lullaby depicting the Firebird in gentle mood
- Finale : as the captives are gradually released and come back to life, followed by general rejoicing