The Firebird

The Firebird is a ballet composed by Igor Stravinsky for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, first performed in Paris in 1910. Its score blends Russian folk-inspired themes with vivid orchestral color.

Igor Stravinsky: Igor Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer whose ballets reshaped twentieth-century music. He composed the score that made this ballet his first major success.
Firebird Suite: The Firebird Suite is a concert selection drawn from Stravinsky’s ballet score, revised in several versions. Its excerpts preserve the ballet’s best-known orchestral episodes outside the theater.
Ivan Bilibin: Ivan Bilibin was a Russian illustrator known for images inspired by folklore and medieval art. His folkloric visual style belongs to the artistic context behind the ballet’s Russian imagery.
Anna Pavlova: Anna Pavlova was a Russian ballerina internationally renowned for her classical performances. She was the original production’s celebrated Firebird.
Sergei Diaghilev: Sergei Diaghilev was a Russian impresario who founded and directed the Ballets Russes. He commissioned the ballet as part of his company’s Paris seasons.
Orchestration: Orchestration is the assignment of musical parts to instruments and instrumental groups. Stravinsky’s timbral choices distinguish the Firebird from the human characters.
Michel Fokine: Michel Fokine was a Russian choreographer who helped reform classical ballet and choreographed for the Ballets Russes. He created the original choreography for The Firebird.
Tamara Karsavina: Tamara Karsavina was a Russian ballerina and a leading dancer with the Imperial Ballet and Ballets Russes. She danced the Firebird in the ballet’s later early performances.
Ballets Russes: The Ballets Russes was a ballet company led by Sergei Diaghilev from 1909 to 1929. The company brought the ballet to the Paris stage and shaped its production.
Leitmotif: A leitmotif is a recurring musical idea associated with a character, place, or dramatic idea. Recurring themes help identify the Firebird and other forces in the score.

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