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The Firebird (; ) is a 1910 ballet by Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer, considered by many to be the most influential composer of 20th century music. He was a quintessentially Cosmopolitanism Russian who was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the century....
 and choreographed by Michel Fokine
Michel Fokine

Michel Fokine was a groundbreaking Russian choreography and dance.He was born in Saint Petersburg, as son of a prosperous, middle-class merchant and at the age of 9, he was accepted into the Saint Petersburg Vaganova Ballet Academy....
. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name
Firebird (Russian folklore)

In Slavic folklore, the Firebird is a magical glowing bird from a faraway land, which is both a blessing and bringer of doom to its captor.The Firebird is invariably described as a large bird in majestic plumage that brightly glows in red, orange and yellow light, like a bonfire that is just past the turbulent flame....
 that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor.

The music was premiered as a ballet by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
Ballets Russes

The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company which performed under the directorship of Sergei Diaghilev between 1909 and 1929. Some of their places of residence included the Th??tre Mogador and the Th??tre du Ch?telet, though they worked in many countries, including England, the U.S.A., and Spain....
 in Paris on 25 June 1910 conducted by Gabriel Pierné
Gabriel Pierné

Henri Constant Gabriel Piern? was a France composer, conductor , and organist....
. It was the first of their productions with music specially composed for them. Originally the music was to have been written by Russian composer Anatol Liadov (1855-1914); but when he was slow in starting work, Diaghilev transferred the commission to the 28-year old Stravinsky.






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The Firebird (; ) is a 1910 ballet by Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer, considered by many to be the most influential composer of 20th century music. He was a quintessentially Cosmopolitanism Russian who was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the century....
 and choreographed by Michel Fokine
Michel Fokine

Michel Fokine was a groundbreaking Russian choreography and dance.He was born in Saint Petersburg, as son of a prosperous, middle-class merchant and at the age of 9, he was accepted into the Saint Petersburg Vaganova Ballet Academy....
. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name
Firebird (Russian folklore)

In Slavic folklore, the Firebird is a magical glowing bird from a faraway land, which is both a blessing and bringer of doom to its captor.The Firebird is invariably described as a large bird in majestic plumage that brightly glows in red, orange and yellow light, like a bonfire that is just past the turbulent flame....
 that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor.

The music was premiered as a ballet by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
Ballets Russes

The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company which performed under the directorship of Sergei Diaghilev between 1909 and 1929. Some of their places of residence included the Th??tre Mogador and the Th??tre du Ch?telet, though they worked in many countries, including England, the U.S.A., and Spain....
 in Paris on 25 June 1910 conducted by Gabriel Pierné
Gabriel Pierné

Henri Constant Gabriel Piern? was a France composer, conductor , and organist....
. It was the first of their productions with music specially composed for them. Originally the music was to have been written by Russian composer Anatol Liadov (1855-1914); but when he was slow in starting work, Diaghilev transferred the commission to the 28-year old Stravinsky. The ballet has historic significance not only as Stravinsky's 'breakthrough piece' ("Mark him well", said Diaghilev to Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Karsavina

Tamara Platonovna Karsavina was a famous Russian ballerina who was most noted as a Principal Artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev....
, who was dancing the title role: "He is a man on the eve of celebrity..."), but also as the beginning of the collaboration between Diaghilev and Stravinsky that would also produce Petrushka and The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring

The Rite of Spring, commonly referred to by its original French language title, Le Sacre du Printemps is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, original choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, and original set design and costumes by archaeologist and painter Nicholas Roerich, all under impresario Serge Diaghilev....
.

The ballet was staged by George Balanchine
George Balanchine

George Balanchine , born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to Georgians parents, was one of the 20th century's foremost choreographers, a pioneer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet: his work created modern ballet, based on his deep knowledge of classical for...
 for the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet

New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein with musical director Leon Barzin and with founding choreographers Balanchine and Jerome Robbins....
 in 1949 with Maria Tallchief
Maria Tallchief

Maria Tallchief was the first American Prima Ballerina. From 1942 to 1947 she danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, but she is best known for her time with the New York City Ballet from 1947 to 1965....
 as the Firebird
Firebird

Firebird and fire bird may refer to:...
 with scenery and costumes by Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall ; [shuh-GAHL] , was a Jewish Russians artist, born in Belarus and naturalized France in 1937, associated with several key art movements and was one of the most successful artists of the twentieth century....
, and was performed in repertory until 1965. The ballet was restaged by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins

Jerome Robbins was an United States film director and choreographer whose work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater....
 in 1970 for the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet

New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein with musical director Leon Barzin and with founding choreographers Balanchine and Jerome Robbins....
 with new scenery and Karinska costumes for the 1972 Stravinsky Festival that introduced Gelsey Kirkland
Gelsey Kirkland

Gelsey Kirkland is an American ballet dancer, and one of the best classicists of her generation. Kirkland was reportedly inspired to dance by watching a performance of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev....
 as the Firebird.

Story

Stravinsky's ballet centers on the journey of its hero, Prince Ivan. Ivan enters the magical realm of Kashchei the Immortal; all of the magical objects and creatures of Kashchei are herein represented by a chromatic
Chromatic scale

The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve Pitch es, each a semitone or half step apart. "A chromatic scale is a diatonic scale consisting entirely of half-step interval ," having, "no tonic ," due to the symmetry or equal spacing of its tones....
 descending motif
Motif (music)

In music, a motif or motive is a perceivable or salience recurring fragment or succession of notes that may be used to construct the entirety or parts of complete melody and theme s....
, usually in the strings. While wandering in the gardens, he sees and chases the Firebird. The Firebird, once caught by Ivan, begs for its life and ultimately agrees to assist Ivan in exchange for eventual freedom.

Next, Prince Ivan sees thirteen princesses, with one of whom he falls in love. The next day, Ivan chooses to confront Kashchei to ask to marry one of the princesses; the two talk and eventually begin quarreling. When Kashchei sends his magical creatures after Ivan, the Firebird, true to its pledge, intervenes, bewitching the creatures and making them dance an elaborate, energetic dance (the "Infernal Dance"). The creatures and Kashchei then fall asleep; however, Kashchei awakens and is then sent into another dance by the Firebird. While Kashchei is bewitched by the Firebird she tells Ivan the secret to Kashchei's immortality and Ivan destroys it killing Kashchei. With Kashchei gone and his magic broken, the magical creatures and the palace all disappear, and all of the "real" beings (including the princesses) awaken and, with one final fleeting appearance from the Firebird, celebrate their victory.

Versions

People often speak of "Stravinsky's music for The Firebird" as if just one work exists; in fact, besides the complete 50-minute ballet score of 1909-10 (written for a very large orchestra including quadruple woodwind and three harps, as well as a piano), there also exist no fewer than three shorter 'suites', arranged by the composer himself for concert performance. These date from 1911, 1919 and 1945. While the 1919-suite remains the most wide spread and well known, the 1945 version contains the most music from the original ballet score (partly motivated by the need to secure copyright in a USA that did not recognise European agreements).

Note that there is no consensus for the precise naming of either the different versions, or of the movements, or the numbering of the movements. Different recordings tend to follow different naming conventions. While this partly might be due to the English translation from the original French names, some recordings of the orchestral suites even avoid referring to the tale by just calling the movements by their formal names, i.e., Adagio, Scherzo, Rondo and Allegro.

Many adaptations of the Firebird Suite for Concert Band
Concert band

A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, or wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family and percussion instrument family....
, Marching Band and Drum Corps have been made throughout the years. Listen to the adaption for percussion trio ()

There are also, of course, multiple versions of the choreography for The Firebird. For example, Graeme Murphy
Graeme Murphy

Graeme Murphy is regarded as one of Australia's best dance choreographers. Together with his fellow dancer Janet Vernon, he has guided Sydney Dance Company to become one of Australia's most successful and well-known dance companies....
 is producing a new choreography in 2009.

1910 Ballet Score (aka "Ballet in 2 scenes for orchestra")

(1) Introduction; 1st Tableau: (2) The Enchanted Garden of Kashchei; (3) Appearance of the Firebird, Pursued by Prince Ivan; (4) Dance Of The Firebird; (5) Capture Of The Firebird By Prince Ivan; (6) Supplication Of The Firebird; (7) Appearance Of The Thirteen Enchanted Princesses; (8) The Princesses' Game With The Golden Apples; (9) Sudden Appearance Of Prince Ivan; (10) Khorovod (Round Dance) Of The Princesses; (11) Daybreak; (12) Magic Carillon, Appearance Of Kashchei's Monster Guardians, And Capture Of Prince Ivan; (13) Arrival Of Kashchei The Immortal; (14) Dialogue Of Kashchei And Prince Ivan; (15) Intercession Of The Princesses; (16) Appearance Of The Firebird; (17) Dance Of Kashchei's Retinue, Enchanted By The Firebird; (18) Infernal Dance Of All Kashchei's Subjects; (19) Lullaby; (20) Kashchei's Awakening; (21) Kashchei's Death; (22) Profound Darkness; 2nd Tableau: (23) Disappearance Of Kastchei's Palace and Magical Creations, Return to Life of the Petrified Knights, General Rejoicing

Orchestration: 4 flute
Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike other woodwind instruments, a flute is a reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge....
s (3rd & 4th also Piccolo
Piccolo

The piccolo is a small flute. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger component, the flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written....
); 3 oboe
Oboe

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois", "hoboy", or "French hoboy"....
s; english horn
Cor anglais

The cor anglais, or English horn, is a Double reed woodwind Musical instrument in the oboe family.The cor anglais is a transposing instrument pitched in F, a perfect fifth lower than the oboe , and is consequently approximately one-third longer....
; 3 clarinet
Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word clarino meaning a particular type of trumpet, as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet....
s (3rd also D Clarinet); Bass Clarinet
Bass clarinet

The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet....
; 3 bassoon
Bassoon

The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the Bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher....
s (2nd also 2nd Contrabassoon
Contrabassoon

The contrabassoon is a larger version of the bassoon sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences....
); Contrabassoon; 4 Horns
Horn (instrument)

The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. It is descended from the natural horn and is informally known as the French horn....
; 3 trumpet
Trumpet

The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
s; 3 trombone
Trombone

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass instrument family. Like all brass instruments, it is a lip-reed aerophone: sound is produced when the player?s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate....
s; Tuba
Tuba

The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped Mouthpiece ....
; 3 Trumpets (onstage); 2 Tenor Tuben
Wagner tuba

The Wagner tuba is a comparatively rare brass instrument that combines elements of both the Horn and the tuba. It was originally created for Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen....
 (onstage); 2 Bass Tuben
Wagner tuba

The Wagner tuba is a comparatively rare brass instrument that combines elements of both the Horn and the tuba. It was originally created for Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen....
 (onstage); Timpani
Timpani

Timpani are musical instruments in the percussion instrument family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a drumhead stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper, and more recently, constructed of more lightweight fiberglass....
; percussion
Percussion instrument

A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration....
; Glockenspiel
Glockenspiel

File:Glockenspiel-malletech.jpgFile:GlockenspielSousaphone.jpgThe glockenspiel is a musical instrument in the percussion instrument family....
; Xylophone
Xylophone

The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion instrument family which probably originated in Slovakia. It consists of wooden bars of various lengths that are struck by plastic, wooden, or rubber drum stick#Malletss....
; Celesta
Celesta

The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard instrument. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box ....
; 3 Harps
Harps

Harps is the plural of harp, a stringed musical instrument.Harps can also refer to:*Harps GAA, an Irish sports club* High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher, a spectrograph used for research in astronomy....
; Pianoforte; Strings.

Notice: the naming convention of the movements and their numberings may be slightly different from one recording to another. E.g. the three parts of the 2nd Tableau may - amongst several others - be seen as: Part II, No. 19a, "Disappearance of the Palace and Dissolution of Kascheri's Enchantments"; No. 19b, "Captive Warriors Emerge From Spell"; No. 19c, "General Thanksgiving".

1911 Suite (aka "Concert suite for orchestra No. 1")

(1) Introduction - Kashchei's Enchanted Garden - Dance of the Firebird; (2) Supplication of the Firebird; (3) The Princesses’ Game with Apples; (4) The Princesses’ Khorovod (Rondo, round dance); (5) Infernal dance of all Kashchei's Subjects.

Orchestration: essentially as per the original ballet - the score was printed from the same plates, with only the new endings for the movements being newly engraved.

Notice:
  • Some recordings will list movement no. 1) as three movements.
  • The 2005 remastered edition on Sony with conductor Pierre Boulez calls it "Ballet suite for orchestra", while the same previous 1991 edition on Sony called it "Suite, 1910". One could argue that the later is more correct even if they missed it by a year. The "Ballet suite for orchestra" would have been a more appropriate name for the "1945 Suite" as this compared to the two other orchestral suites contains most of the music from the original ballet score.
  • Might also be referred to as a "Symphonic Suite".


1919 Suite (aka "Concert suite for orchestra No. 2")

(1) Introduction - The Firebird and its dance - The Firebird's variation; (2) The Princesses’ Khorovod (Rondo, round dance); (3) Infernal dance of King Kashchei; (4) Berceuse (Lullaby); (5) Finale.

Orchestration: 2 Flutes (inc. Piccolo); 2 Oboes (inc. English Horn); 2 Clarinets; 2 Bassoons; 4 Horns; 2 Trumpets; 3 Trombones; Tuba; Timpani; Percussion; Harp; Pianoforte (alternating Celesta); Strings.

Notice:
  • Some recordings will list movement no. 1) as two or three movements.
  • Might also be referred to as a "Symphonic Suite".


1945 Suite (aka "Ballet suite for orchestra")

(1) Introduction - The Firebird and its dance - The Firebird's variation; (2) Pantomime I; (3) Pas de deux: Firebird and Ivan Tsarevich; (4) Pantomime II; (5) Scherzo: Dance of the Princesses; (6) Pantomime III; (7) The Princesses' Khorovod (Rondo, round dance); (8) Infernal dance of King Kashchei; (9) Berceuse (Lullaby); (10) Finale.

Orchestration: 2 Flutes (inc. Piccolo); 2 Oboes; 2 Clarinets; 2 Bassoons; 4 Horns; 2 Trumpets; 3 Trombones; Tuba; Timpani; Percussion; Harp; Pianoforte; Strings.

Notice:
  • Some recordings will list movement no. 1) as three movements.
  • Might also be referred to as a "Symphonic Suite".


Popular Influence

The chapter in the animated
Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of Motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways....
 film Fantasia 2000
Fantasia 2000

Fantasia 2000 is an United States animated film feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures....
 based on Stravinsky's piece uses an abridged version of the 1919 suite to tell the story of a spring sprite
Sprite (creature)

The term sprite is a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures. The term is generally used in reference to elf-like creatures, including fairy, dwarf, and the likes of it, but can also signify various spiritual beings, including ghosts....
 and her companion elk
Red Deer

The Red Deer is one of the largest deer species. The Red Deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor and parts of western and central Asia....
. After a long winter the sprite attempts to restore life to a forest but accidentally wakes the "Firebird" spirit of a nearby volcano. Angered, the Firebird proceeds to destroy the forest and seemingly the sprite. She is restored to life after the destruction and the forest life is reborn with her. The Fantasia 2000 Firebird chapter is considered an exercise in the theme of life-death-rebirth deities; the depiction of the Firebird in it as a violent, flaming volcanic spirit is not related to Stravinsky's original theme. Arguably, this depiction acts as a literal The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring

The Rite of Spring, commonly referred to by its original French language title, Le Sacre du Printemps is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, original choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, and original set design and costumes by archaeologist and painter Nicholas Roerich, all under impresario Serge Diaghilev....
, another Stravinsky ballet used by Disney in the previous Fantasia
Fantasia (film)

Fantasia is a 1940 in film List of animated feature-length films produced by Walt Disney, and is the third film in the List of Disney theatrical animated features#official canon....
 film.

Stravinsky's work has also had a great deal of influence in musical genres outside of classical. Throughout their career, the progressive rock
Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." The term "art rock" is often used interchangeably with "progressive rock", but while there are crossovers between the two genres, they are not identical....
 group Yes
Yes (band)

Yes are an England progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968 in music. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess....
 have opened their live concerts with an excerpt from The Firebird, and their 1974 song "The Gates of Delirium" is heavily influenced by musical ideas pioneered by Stravinsky. Another prog rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a jazz/rock group formed by Manfred Mann , in 1971 in music....
 used thematic material from The Firebird as the basis for the track Starbird on their album The Roaring Silence
The Roaring Silence

The Roaring Silence is an album released in 1976 in music by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Like other Earth Band albums, this includes material by other composers....
.

Electronic musician
Electronic musician

An electronic musician is a musician who composes or plays music from Synthesis sounds generated with synthesizers, sampler , drum machines or music sequencers....
 Isao Tomita
Isao Tomita

, is a renowned Japanese electronic music composer....
 arranged a synthesized
Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....
 version of the short 1919 Firebird suite for his 1975 album of the same name.

Cliff Eidelman
Cliff Eidelman

Cliff Eidelman is an United States film score composer and Conductor who scored films such as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery....
's score for the 1991 film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. It was released in 1991 in film by Paramount Pictures, and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire core cast of the 1960s Star Trek: The Original Series....
 borrows thematic elements from the Firebird.

The ballet was also the inspiration for Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka

was a Japanese people Mangaka, animator, movie producer and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion....
's Phoenix series
Phoenix (manga)

is a manga series by Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka considered Phoenix his "life's work"; it consists of 12 books, each of which tells a separate, self-contained story and takes place in a different era....
.

Hip-Hop band The Beastie Boys Sampled firebird in the song Electrify on the album Hello Nasty.

Selected recorded versions


Complete Ballet


  • Igor Stravinsky
    Igor Stravinsky

    Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer, considered by many to be the most influential composer of 20th century music. He was a quintessentially Cosmopolitanism Russian who was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the century....
     conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra
    Columbia Symphony Orchestra

    The Columbia Symphony Orchestra was an orchestra formed by Columbia Records. It provided a vehicle for some of Columbia's better known recording artists to record using only company resources....
    , recorded in 1961 for Columbia Masterworks, and released on CD by Sony Masterworks. This recording has been released many times on LP and CD. This is considered the authoritative version because the composer conducts his own work.


  • Seiji Ozawa
    Seiji Ozawa

    is a Japanese conducting, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic music works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera....
     conducting the Orchestre de Paris
    Orchestre de Paris

    The Orchestre de Paris is a France orchestra founded in 1967, based in Paris, whose current music director is Christoph Eschenbach. Most concerts are currently held at the Salle Pleyel....
     (released in 1973 on EMI
    EMI

    The EMI Group is a United Kingdom music company comprising the major record label EMI Music ? which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in London, England, United Kingdom ? and EMI Music Publishing, based in New York City....
     as S-36910)


  • Paul Jorgensen
    Paul Jorgensen

    Paul Jorgensen was a super featherweight professional Boxing from Louisiana....
     conducting the Royal Danish Orchestra
    Royal Danish Orchestra

    The History of the Royal Danish OrchestraThe Royal Danish Orchestra is considered the oldest orchestra of its kind, tracing its origins back to 1448 and the Trumpet Corps at the royal court of King Christian I, who was crowned to an accompaniment of brass and percussion instruments....
    , with the Royal Danish Ballet
    Royal Danish Ballet

    The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet troupes in Europe. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, it originates from 1748, when the Royal Danish Theatre was founded, and was finally organized in 1771 in response to the great popularity of France and Italy styles of dance....
     choreographed by Glen Tetley
    Glen Tetley

    Glen Tetley was an USA ballet and modern dancer as well as a choreographer who mixed ballet and modern dance to create a new way of looking at dance, and is best known for his piece Pierrot Lunaire....
     (1982 video; reissued on DVD
    DVD

    DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....
     by Kultur in 2002). Many have criticized this release for poor sound quality, and for changing the original story.


  • Pierre Boulez
    Pierre Boulez

    Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music and Conducting....
     conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
    Chicago Symphony Orchestra

    The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five "....
    . Released in 1993, it is a live recording released on the Deutsche Grammophon
    Deutsche Grammophon

    Deutsche Grammophon is a Germany classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. The company has long been known for its high standards of high fidelity....
     label.


  • Antal Doráti
    Antal Doráti

    Antal Dor?ti Order of the British Empire was a Hungary-born conducting and composer.Dor?ti was born in Budapest, where his father was a violinist with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra....
     conducting the London Symphony Orchestra
    London Symphony Orchestra

    The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Arts Centre....
    , recorded in 1959 and released on the Mercury Records
    Mercury Records

    Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US, and are both subsidiaries of Universal Music Group....
     label. It was re-released on CD in 1991.


  • Dorati re-recorded the work with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
    Detroit Symphony Orchestra

    The Detroit Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1914. It performed the world's first radio broadcast of a symphonic concert on February 10, 1922 with pianist Artur Schnabel, and became the first nationally broadcast radio orchestra on The Ford Sunday Evening Hour from 1934 to 1942 on the Columbia Broadcast System....
     in 1982 on the Decca
    Decca Records

    Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
     label. It was re-released in 1992 along with Apollon musagčte.


  • Charles Dutoit
    Charles Dutoit

    Charles ?douard Dutoit is a Switzerland conducting, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music. He has made influential modern recordings of Hector Berlioz's Rom?o et Juliette and Maurice Ravel's ballets Daphnis et Chlo? and Ma M?re l'Oie....
     conducting the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
    Montreal Symphony Orchestra

    Orchestre symphonique de Montr?al is a symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with Montreal's Place des Arts as its home....
    , recorded in 1984 and released in 1986 on the Decca label.


  • Sir Colin Davis
    Colin Davis

    Sir Colin Rex Davis, Order of the Companions of Honour, Order of the British Empire is an England Conducting. Davis studied the clarinet at the Royal College of Music in London, where he was barred from taking conducting lessons owing to his lack of ability at the piano....
     conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra, recorded on Philips Classics Records
    Philips Classics Records

    Philips Classics Records was started in the 1980s as the new classics record label for Philips Records. It was successful with artists like Andrea Bocelli, Alfred Brendel, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St....
    .


  • Robert Craft
    Robert Craft

    Robert Lawson Craft is an United States Conducting and writer. He is best known for his intimate working friendship with Igor Stravinsky, a relationship which resulted in a number of recordings and books....
     conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, recorded in 1996 on the now defunct Koch Records
    Koch Records

    E1 Music , the primary subsidiary of E1 Entertainment LP, is the largest independent record label in the United States. It is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe and in Asia under the name E1 Universal....
    . It was re-released by Naxos Records in 2005, coupled with Petrushka
    Petrushka

    Petrouchka or Petrushka is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky.Petrushka is a story of a Russian traditional puppet, Petrushka, who is made of straw and with a bag of sawdust as his body, but who comes to life and develops emotions....
     (1947 version).


  • Michael Tilson Thomas
    Michael Tilson Thomas

    Michael Tilson Thomas , is an United States conducting, piano and composer. He is currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony....
     conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
    San Francisco Symphony Chorus

    The San Francisco Symphony Chorus is the resident chorus of the San Francisco Symphony ....
    , the Peninsula Boys Choir and the San Francisco Girls Chorus
    San Francisco Girls Chorus

    San Francisco Girls Chorus is a regional center for music education and performance for girls and young women, ages 7-18, based in San Francisco....
    , in a 3-CD recording that also includes The Rite of Spring
    The Rite of Spring

    The Rite of Spring, commonly referred to by its original French language title, Le Sacre du Printemps is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, original choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, and original set design and costumes by archaeologist and painter Nicholas Roerich, all under impresario Serge Diaghilev....
     and Perséphone. This set won the 2000
    2000 in music

    See also:* 2000 in music * :Category:Musical groups established in 2000* :Category:Record labels established in 2000...
     Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance
    Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance

    The Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance has been awarded since 1959. There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time:...
     and the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Classical Album
    Grammy Award for Best Classical Album

    The Grammy Award for Best Classical Album has been awarded since 1962. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1962 to 1963, 1965 to 1972 and 1974 to 1976 the award was known as Album of the Year - Classical...
    .


  • Simon Rattle
    Simon Rattle

    Sir Simon Denis Rattle, Order of the British Empire, Royal Society of Arts, is an England Conducting. He rose to prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and is currently principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
     conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
    City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

    The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England....
     in a multiple-CD recording that also includes Petrushka
    Petrushka

    Petrouchka or Petrushka is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky.Petrushka is a story of a Russian traditional puppet, Petrushka, who is made of straw and with a bag of sawdust as his body, but who comes to life and develops emotions....
    , Apollo
    Apollo

    In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Twelve Olympians. The ideal of the kouros , Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery; medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts; and more....
    , and The Rite of Spring
    The Rite of Spring

    The Rite of Spring, commonly referred to by its original French language title, Le Sacre du Printemps is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, original choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, and original set design and costumes by archaeologist and painter Nicholas Roerich, all under impresario Serge Diaghilev....
    , recorded on EMI Records
    EMI Records

    EMI Records is a record label, founded by EMI in 1972 in music as the successor label to the Columbia Graphophone Company label. The global success that EMI enjoyed with pop music in the 1960s also exposed trade mark issues as EMI only had the rights to some of its trade marks, most notably His Master's Voice and Columbia, in parts of the wo...
     Released 2008.


Firebird Suite


  • George Szell
    George Szell

    George Szell , originally Gy?rgy Sz?ll or Georg Szell, was a Hungary-born American conducting and composer. He is remembered today for his long and successful tenure as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra, and for the recordings of the standard classical repertoire he made in Cleveland and with other orchestras....
     conducting the Cleveland Orchestra
    Cleveland Orchestra

    The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five "....
     (released on Epic Records
    Epic Records

    Epic Records is an United States record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. The label was founded in 1953 as a jazz label, and was eventually expanded to several genres of music....
     as LC 3812 and BC 1149; the disc also includes William Walton
    William Walton

    Sir William Turner Walton Order of Merit was a United Kingdom composer and Conductor .His style was influenced by the works of Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev as well as jazz music, and is characterized by rhythmic vitality, bittersweet harmony, sweeping Romantic music melody and brilliant orchestration....
    's Symphony No. 2)


  • Pierre Monteux
    Pierre Monteux

    Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conducting. Born in Paris, France, rue de la Grange Bateli?re. Monteux later became an American citizen....
     conducting the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra (released on Decca Records
    Decca Records

    Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
     in 1972 as STS 15197; the disc also includes the complete Petrushka
    Petrushka

    Petrouchka or Petrushka is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky.Petrushka is a story of a Russian traditional puppet, Petrushka, who is made of straw and with a bag of sawdust as his body, but who comes to life and develops emotions....
     ballet)


  • Gennady Rozhdestvensky
    Gennady Rozhdestvensky

    Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky is a Russian Conducting....
     conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra (broadcast by the Radio Nederland Transcription Service on the Dutch Concert Rostrum, Program 8319; not commercially released; the program also includes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty; at seventeen he was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg, but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position, always...
    's Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
    The Marriage of Figaro

    Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K?chel-Verzeichnis, is an opera buffa composed in 1786_in_music#Opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, The Marriage of Figaro ....
     (Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
    Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

    The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is a Netherlands symphony orchestra based in Rotterdam. It is considered the second most important orchestra in the country after Amsterdam's Concertgebouworkest....
    /Jean Fournet
    Jean Fournet

    Jean Fournet is a French conducting. After having established himself in his native country, he proved a welcome addition to opera companies in America, where the French style had become something of a lost art....
    ) and Johannes Brahms
    Johannes Brahms

    Johannes Brahms , composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic music. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene....
    's Variations on the Chorale St. Anthony, op. 56a (Concertgebouw Orchestra/Erich Leinsdorf
    Erich Leinsdorf

    Erich Leinsdorf was an Austrian-born American conducting. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality....
    ))


  • Kazuhito Yamashita
    Kazuhito Yamashita

    is a Japanese classical guitarist who is considered one of the foremost artists of his generation.The Japanese guitarist, Kazuhito Yamashita, began to study the guitar at the age of eight with his father, Toru Yamashita....
     - arrangement for classical guitar (released on RCA Records
    RCA Records

    RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986....
     in 1989; the disc also includes a classical guitar arrangement of Antonín Dvorák
    Antonín Dvorák

    Anton?n Leopold Dvor?k was a Czechs composer of Romantic music, who employed the idioms and melodies of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia....
    's Symphony No. 9)


  • Ivan Fischer
    Iván Fischer

    Iv?n Fischer is a Hungary conducting of Jewish origin. Iv?n Fischer initially studied piano, violin, cello and composition. He was a conducting student of Hans Swarowsky in Vienna, where he also studied cello and early music, studying and working as assistant to Nikolaus Harnoncourt....
     conducting the Budapest Festival Orchestra
    Budapest Festival Orchestra

    The Budapest Festival Orchestra was formed in 1983 by Iv?n Fischer and Zolt?n Kocsis, with musicians "drawn from the cream of Hungary's younger players", as The Times put it....
    , 1919 version (released on Hungaroton
    Hungaroton

    Hungaroton was the one and only record label and music publisher company in Hungary for about 40 years.Hungaroton was founded in 1951 in music, since then, its only competitors in the Hungarian music market were record labels like Melodiya, Supraphon and Eterna from other socialist countries....
     in 1990 as HCD 31095, recorded in 1988; the disc also includes the complete Petrushka
    Petrushka

    Petrouchka or Petrushka is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky.Petrushka is a story of a Russian traditional puppet, Petrushka, who is made of straw and with a bag of sawdust as his body, but who comes to life and develops emotions....
     ballet, 1946-47 version)


  • Neeme Jarvi conducting the London Symphony Orchestra
    London Symphony Orchestra

    The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Arts Centre....
    , 1945 version recorded in 1988 and released on Chandos Records
    Chandos Records

    Chandos Records is an independent European classical music label based in the United Kingdom, founded by Brian Couzens. Their catalog contains a range of classical music - for example, much orchestral, choir and chamber music by such relatively lesser-known British composers as Herbert Howells, Gerald Finzi, Charles Stanford and Arnold Bax co...
     in 1989; also includes Rimsky-Korsakov's Dubinushka, Op. 62 and Lyadov's Baba-Yaga op. 56, The Enchanted Lake Op. 62 and Kilimora Op. 63


  • Jahni Mardjani conducting the Georgian Festival Orchestra. This disc also has a version of Claude Debussy
    Claude Debussy

    Achille-Claude Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he is considered one of the most prominent figures working within the field of Impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions....
    's Nocturnes


  • Myung-whun Chung
    Myung-Whun Chung

    Myung-whun Chung is a Korean-born piano and conducting.His sisters, violinist Kyung-wha Chung, and cello Myung-wha Chung, and he at one time performed together as the Chung Trio....
     conducting the Orchestra of the Bastille Opera, coupled to Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade
    Scheherazade

    Scheherazade , sometimes Scheherazadea, Persian transliteration Shahrazad or Shahrzad , is a legendary Persian Empire queen and the storyteller of One Thousand and One Nights....
    . Recorded in 1992 and released in 1993 on Deutsche Grammophon
    Deutsche Grammophon

    Deutsche Grammophon is a Germany classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. The company has long been known for its high standards of high fidelity....
    .


  • Leonard Bernstein
    Leonard Bernstein

    Leonard Bernstein was a multi-Emmy-winning and Academy Award for Original Music Score nominated American Conductor , composer, author, music lecturer and Piano....
     has recorded it several times with various orchestras including the New York Philharmonic
    New York Philharmonic

    The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. Based in New York City, the Philharmonic performs most of its concerts at Avery Fisher Hall....
    , the London Symphony Orchestra
    London Symphony Orchestra

    The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Arts Centre....
    , and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
    Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

    The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel. Originally known as the Palestine Orchestra, the IPO was founded by violinist Bronislaw Huberman in 1936, at a time when many Jewish musicians were being fired from European orchestras....
    . Each of these has been released on CD multiple times.


  • Leopold Stokowski
    Leopold Stokowski

    Leopold Stokowski was a famous orchestral conducting, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted....
     recorded The Firebird Suite eight times, more than any other conductor ... with the Philadelphia Orchestra (acoustically) in 1924, and again (electrically) in 1927 and 1935; with the All-American Youth Orchestra in 1941 and the NBC Symphony Orchestra in 1942; with his own Symphony Orchestra in 1950; and in two stereo recordings, with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1957, and finally, at the age of 85, with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1967.


  • Isao Tomita
    Isao Tomita

    , is a renowned Japanese electronic music composer....
     recorded an electronic arrangement of "The Firebird" Suite in 1975 using a Moog III
    Moog modular synthesizer

    Moog modular synthesizer refers to any of a number of monophonic analog modular synthesizers designed by the late Electronic musical instrument pioneer Dr....
     synthesizer
    Synthesizer

    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequency....
     and other electronic instruments available at the time.


  • Vincent Montana, Jr, recorded a disco version in 1977 with the Salsoul Orchestra calling the piece "Magic Bird of Fire" on his album Magic Journey.


Excerpts from the Firebird Suite


  • Berceuse: Lori Singer
    Lori Singer

    Lori Singer is an United States actor and cello. She is perhaps best known for her role of Ariel Moore, the daughter of Reverend Shaw Moore in the 1984 film Footloose, which also starred Kevin Bacon....
    , solo cello performance (included on the Short Cuts
    Short Cuts

    Short Cuts is a 1993 in film drama film directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Robert Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver....
     soundtrack)


  • Danse Infernal: Igor Stravinsky conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra
    Columbia Symphony Orchestra

    The Columbia Symphony Orchestra was an orchestra formed by Columbia Records. It provided a vehicle for some of Columbia's better known recording artists to record using only company resources....
     (released on Columbia Records
    Columbia Records

    Columbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders....
     as MS 7094; disc includes five other Stravinsky compositions)
  • The progressive rock
    Progressive rock

    Progressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." The term "art rock" is often used interchangeably with "progressive rock", but while there are crossovers between the two genres, they are not identical....
     band, Yes
    Yes (band)

    Yes are an England progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968 in music. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess....
     used an excerpt from Firebird Suite to open concerts, and also appears as the first track on many live CDs and DVDs.


External links