| The Firebird | |
|---|---|
| Choreographed by | Michel Fokine |
| Composed by | Igor Stravinsky |
| Date of premiere | 25 June 1910 |
| Place of premiere | Paris |
| Original ballet company | Ballets Russes |
| Setting | Russia |
| Created for | Tamara Karsavina |
| Genre | Neoromantic ballet |
| Type | classical ballet |
The Firebird (French: L'oiseau de feu[a 1]) is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor.
The ballet has historic significance not only as Stravinsky's breakthrough piece — "Mark him well", said Diaghilev to Tamara Karsavina, 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.
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The ballet was the first of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes productions to have an all-original score composed for it. Alexandre Benois wrote in 1910 that he had two years earlier suggested to Diaghilev the production of a Russian nationalist ballet, [1] an idea all the more attractive given both the newly awakened French passion for Russian dance and also the ruinously expensive costs of staging opera. The inspiration of mixing the mythical Firebird with the unrelated Russian tale of Kaschei the deathless possibly came from a popular child's verse by Yakov Polonsky, "A Winter's Journey" (Zimniy put, 1844), which includes the lines:
And in my dreams I see myself on a wolf's back
Riding along a forest path
To do battle with a sorcerer-tsar [i.e., Kaschei]
In that land where a princess sits under lock and key,
Pining behind massive walls.
There gardens surround a palace all of glass;
There Firebirds sing by night
And peck at golden fruit.[2]
Benois collaborated with the choreographer Michel Fokine, drawing from several books of Russian fairy tales including the collection of Alexander Afanasyev, to concoct a story involving the Firebird and the evil magician Kashchei.
Diaghilev famously approached the Russian composer Anatoly Lyadov (1855–1914) to write the music.[3] There is no evidence, however, despite the much-repeated story that Lyadov was slow to start composing the work, that he ever accepted the commission.[4] There is evidence to suggest that Nikolai Tcherepnin had previously started composing music for the ballet—music which became The Enchanted Kingdom—but that Tcherepnin, for reasons unexplained, withdrew from the project.[5] Diaghilev eventually transferred the commission to the 28-year old Stravinsky.
The ballet was premiered by the Ballets Russes in Paris on 25 June 1910 conducted by Gabriel Pierné.[6] Even before the first performance, the company sensed a huge success in the making; and every performance of the ballet in that first production, as Karsavina recalled, met a "crescendo" of success.[7] The critics were ecstatic, praising the ballet for what they perceived as an ideal symbiosis between decor, choreography and music: "The old-gold vermiculatino of the fantastic back-cloth seems to have been invented to a formula identical with that of the shimmering web of the orchestra" enthused Henri Ghéon in Nouvelle revue française (1910).[8]
For Stravinsky, it was a major breakthrough both with the public and with the critics, Calvocoressi in particular hailing Stravinsky as the legitimate heir to The Mighty Handful.[9] The Firebird's success also secured Stravinsky's position as Diaghilev's star composer, and there were immediate talks of a sequel,[10] leading to the composition of Petrushka and The Rite of Spring.
The ballet was revived in 1934 by Colonel Wassily de Basil's company, the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo, in a production staged in London, using the original decor and costumes from Diaghilev's company.[11] The company subsequently performed the ballet in Australia, during the 1936-37 tour.[12]
The ballet was staged by George Balanchine for the New York City Ballet in 1949 with Maria Tallchief as the Firebird with scenery and costumes by Marc Chagall, and was performed in repertory until 1965. The ballet was restaged by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins in 1970 for the New York City Ballet with elaborated scenery by Chagall, and with new costumes by Karinska based on Chagall's for the 1972 Stravinsky Festival that introduced Gelsey Kirkland as the Firebird.[13]
The Mariinsky Ballet performed the original choreography at Covent Garden in August 2011 as part of their Fokine retrospective.
The 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 descending motif, 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, the Firebird tells Ivan the secret to Kashchei's immortality – his soul is contained inside an enormous, magical egg. Ivan destroys the egg, killing Kashchei. With Kashchei gone and his spell broken, the magical creatures and the palace all disappear. All of the "real" beings (including the princesses) awaken and (with one final hint of the Firebird's music, though in Fokine's choreography she makes no appearance in that final scene on-stage), celebrate their victory.
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 are 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 well known and often played, 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 recognize European agreements).
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 tempo markings (i.e., Adagio, Allegro, etc.) or the name of the musical form (i.e., Scherzo, Rondo, etc.).
Many adaptations of the Firebird Suite for concert band, marching band and drum corps have been made throughout the years. There are also multiple versions of the choreography for The Firebird—for example, Graeme Murphy's 2009 version.
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Orchestration: 4 flutes (3rd & 4th also Piccolo); 3 oboes; cor anglais; 3 clarinets (3rd also D Clarinet); bass clarinet; 3 bassoons (2nd also 2nd contrabassoon); contrabassoon; 4 horns; 3 trumpets; 3 trombones; tuba; 3 trumpets (onstage); 4 Wagner tubas (two tenor and two bass, onstage); timpani; bass drum; cymbals; triangle; tambourine; tamtam; tubular bells; glockenspiel; xylophone; celesta; 3 harps; pianoforte; strings.
(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.
Some recordings will list movement no. 1) as three movements.
In 1928, Stravinsky conducted a group of Parisian musicians in a recording of this suite for Columbia Records, which was released on a set of 12-inch 78-rpm discs.
The Kalmus orchestral score for this suite is dated "1910", while Luck's Music publishes this version as "1912"
The 2005 remastered edition on Sony with conductor Pierre Boulez calls it "Ballet suite for orchestra", while in 1991 Sony called it "Suite, 1910".
(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 (2nd also Piccolo); 2 Oboes (2nd also English Horn for one measure); 2 Clarinets; 2 Bassoons; 4 Horns; 2 Trumpets; 3 Trombones; Tuba; Timpani; Bass Drum; Tambourine; Cymbals; Triangle; Xylophone; Chimes (Tubular Bells); Harp; Pianoforte (also opt. Celesta); Strings.
Some recordings will list movement no. 1) as two or three movements. It is sometimes also referred to as a "Symphonic Suite".
(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 (2nd also Piccolo); 2 Oboes; 2 Clarinets; 2 Bassoons; 4 Horns; 2 Trumpets; 3 Trombones; Tuba; Timpani; Bass Drum; Snare Drum; Tambourine; Cymbals; Triangle; Xylophone; Harp; Pianoforte; Strings.
Once again, some recordings will list movement no. 1) as three movements or may refer to this as a "Symphonic Suite". Stravinsky recorded this suite in 1967, his last commercial recording for Columbia Records.
The chapter in the animated film Fantasia 2000 based on Stravinsky's piece uses an abridged version (this can be evidenced by a shortened Infernal Dance) of the 1919 suite to tell the story of a spring sprite and her companion elk. 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.
The chapter "The Princesses' Khorovod and The Infernal Dance of King Katscheï" in the animated film Allegro non troppo uses excerpts from Stravinsky's music, and tells a variant of the Adam and Eve story.[14]
Graeme Murphy and The Australian Ballet colloborated in 2009 on a new Firebird with set and costume designs by the young designer Leon Krasenstein.[12]
Notable recordings of the complete ballet include:
| Orchestra | Conductor | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Symphony Orchestra | Antal Doráti | Mercury Records | 1959 | CD | |
| Columbia Symphony Orchestra | Igor Stravinsky | Columbia Masterworks | 1961 | CD / LP | [15] |
| Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra | Colin Davis | Philips | 1978 | CD | [16] |
| Royal Danish Orchestra | Paul Jorgensen | Kultur | 1982 | DVD | [17] |
| Detroit Symphony Orchestra | Antal Doráti | Decca Records | 1982 | CD | |
| Montreal Symphony Orchestra | Charles Dutoit | Decca Records | 1984 | CD | |
| Chicago Symphony Orchestra | Pierre Boulez | Deutsche Grammophon | 1993 | CD | [18] |
| Kirov Orchestra | Valeri Gergiev | Philips Classics Records | 1995 | CD | |
| Philharmonia Orchestra | Robert Craft | Koch Records / Naxos Records | 1996 | CD | [19] |
| Orchestre de Paris | Seiji Ozawa | EMI | 1997 | CD | |
| San Francisco Symphony Orchestra | Michael Tilson Thomas | RCA | 1998 | CD | [20][21] |
| City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra | Simon Rattle | EMI | 2008 | CD | |
| Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra | Esa-Pekka Salonen | Deutsche Grammophon | 2008 | Digital download | [22][23] |
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