I. Stravinsky ballet "The Firebird": content, video, interesting facts

I. Stravinsky ballet "The Firebird"

The Firebird is the bright and colorful ballet of I.F. Stravinsky on a fabulous theme, which was written by order of SP Dyagilev for "Russian Seasons". The main part of the libretto was created by the most talented choreographer M. Fokin, however, many changes were made, and for this many talented artists, writers and even connoisseurs of literature were attracted.

The plot of "The Firebird" is based on Russian fairy tales about Koschei the Immortal, as well as Ivan Tsarevich, Firebird and the Gray Wolf. In addition, the choreographer added the dances of captive girls from F. Sologub's Night Dances.

The summary of the Stravinsky ballet "The Firebird" and a lot of interesting facts about this piece can be found on our page.

Summary

Ivan Tsarevich goes in search of a stolen bride named Krasa Dominant. He learned that she is in the castle of Koshchey the Immortal. A brave young man finds this place and penetrates inside. There he meets the fabulous Firebird, who flew in to feast on golden apples. Ivan Tsarevich did not lose his head and grabbed the fire bird by the tail. The firebird began to ask to let her go free, which the young man did. As a token of gratitude, the strange bird helped Ivan Tsarevich defeat Koschei, whose death was hidden in a needle hidden in an egg. As soon as the villain was finished, his spell was dispelled and Ivan Tsarevich released all the prisoners, including his beloved bride Krasu.

Interesting Facts

• Surprisingly, many interesting facts are connected with the ballet "The Firebird". So, for example, Igor Stravinsky is the third composer who started writing the ballet score, since the two previous ones - A. Lyadov and N. Cherepnin failed to cope with this order. As a result, Dygilev was forced to look for a new musician and the choice fell on Stravinsky. Igor Fedorovich himself noted in his memoirs that this was a very flattering proposal, to which he immediately agreed, despite the limited time frame.
• Speaking of timing, the ballet I. Stravinsky finished on time, however, by the stated date, however, not everything was ready. Then Dygilev decided to go for a little trick and, despite the declared “Firebird”, a number from the “Sleeping Beauty” was performed on the stage, which was practically unknown to the Parisian public. Only relatives and people who worked with Dyagilev knew about this circumstance.
• The ballet score has a dedication to Andrei, son of Rimsky-Korsakov, since Stravinsky worked on his work at the dacha of this famous family.
• The music of the performance begins very unusually, with a very quiet and insinuating sound of the orchestra. Such a technique was criticized by the composer R. Strauss, noting that the work should be started brightly, boldly declaring itself. However, Stravinsky did not change anything in the score.
• At the first premiere of "Firebird" accidentally happened embarrassment. It occurred to Dygilev to revive the play and bring the horses to the stage. Animals, having appeared in the center, began to laugh and did not obey at all. Everything would be fine, but one of the horses, apparently from great fear, left behind a foul-smelling business card, which caused a violent laugh from the audience. By the way, at that time only fashionable public gathered in the hall, including many celebrities.
• Tamara Tumanova, who once played the role of the Firebird in Melbourne, maintained friendly relations with famous painters Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall.
• Several sketches of costumes for the premiere were developed by the famous artist L.S. Bakst

We are pleased to offer ballet dancers and a symphony orchestra to perform numbers and excerpts from the ballet. "Firebird" at your event.