Off The Cuff: The Firebird
{ program notes
Though over his long career he would become a fearless modernist, continually experimenting with new styles, he won his fame in 1910 with this lush and sensual score, a grand summation of the 19 th-century Russian fascination with fantastic plots and opulent instrumental colors.
The Firebird’ s music needed to be lush for it was written for Serge Diaghilev’ s spectacular Ballets Russes, which was dazzling Paris during the seasons immediately preceding World War I. Diaghilev had a genius for assembling the greatest Russian dancers as well as scenic designers, poets and composers from Russia and France to create ballet extravaganzas that looked as colorful as they sounded. In 1909, seeking a composer to replace Anatoli Liadov( dropped after he failed to meet his deadline), Diaghilev had the happy inspiration to try the 27-year-old Stravinsky, who had hitherto worked for him only as an orchestrator. The Firebird was Stravinsky’ s first major commission.“ Take a good look at him,” Diaghilev told his leading ballerina Tamara Karsavina during rehearsals.“ He is a man on the eve of celebrity.” And indeed, when The Firebird premiered at the Paris Opéra on June 25, 1910 to tumultuous applause, Stravinsky immediately became one of the hottest composers of the day.
The Firebird is a beloved creature in Russian folklore, and she corresponds to the Phoenix in classical mythology as a symbol of rebirth. The Russian folklorist Afasyev describes her thus:“ The feathers of the Firebird are effulgent with silver and gold … her eyes shine like crystal, and she sits in a golden cage. At darkest midnight, she flies into the garden and lights it as brightly as if with a thousand burning bonfires. Just one of her tail feathers holds such magical power that it is worth more than a kingdom.” The scenario of the ballet combines the Firebird with the legends of the evil ogre Kastchei the Deathless One and the captive princesses( familiar to us as the Grimm Brothers’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses).
Usually, we only hear the 20-minute orchestral suite that Stravinsky drew in 1919 from his score. But at these concerts, we’ ll experience the complete 45-minute-long ballet score, which contains much more
Off The Cuff: The Firebird
Music Center At Strathmore
Friday, May 5, 2017— 8:15 pm
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Saturday, May 6, 2017— 7pm
Markus Stenz, conductor
Igor Stravinsky The Firebird( complete, 1910)
Saturday, May 6: Join us for an after-party in the Meyerhoff lobby featuring live entertainment, food and drink specials. Made possible by The Wallace Foundation
The concert will end at approximately 9:30 pm on Friday and 8:15 pm on Saturday.
Supporting Sponsor:
The Wagner Tuben used in this concert are a gift from Beth Green Pierce in memory of her father, Elwood I. Green.
imaginatively conceived and stunningly orchestrated music worth discovering. Here, along with a synopsis of the ballet’ s plot, are some of the moments worth savoring.
In the murky and mysterious music that opens the ballet, Stravinsky conjures the dangerous realm of Kastchei’ s castle and its magical garden with ominous scales in muted low strings and menacing trombone snarls. Soon we hear the eerie sound of the Firebird’ s wings, an otherworldly effect created by the strings playing natural harmonics along with the shimmer of celesta and harp. Prince Ivan climbs over the castle wall to try to capture her. He briefly succeeds in“ The Firebird’ s Dance”; here is some of Stravinsky’ s most ingenious music, glinting with darting rhythms and prismatic, lighter-than-air colors from high
woodwinds. Beginning with a viola solo, the Firebird pleads for her freedom, and when the Prince relents, she rewards him with one of her potent feathers.
As he looks around Kastchei’ s garden, Ivan sees a magical tree glowing with golden apples but also some ominous objects: stone heads of monsters and a fence of petrified knights frozen in a row. All are victims of Kastchei. As he is about to flee, the castle door opens, and 13 lovely princesses appear, led by the most beautiful of them all, Princess Unearthly Beauty( enchanted music featuring violin and flute solos). To fast, glittering music, they play with the golden apples in the moonlight. Announced by a horn solo, Ivan suddenly appears to them. The princesses then dance a traditional Russian khorovode, a female
16 Overture | bsomusic. org