Friday, August 23, 2019

A Window Above: The Firebird

Piece: The Firebird
Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Premier: June 25, 1910, Paris Opera
Original Ballet Company: Ballets Russes

The Firebird was Stravinsky's first ballet commission and his breakthrough hit.  The story combines the Russian legend of the Firebird with the unrelated folk tale of Koschei the Deathless.  Stravinsky, only 28 at the time, was the third composer to be offered the job by impressario Sergei Diaghilev.  The collaboration between the two men would prove a fruitful one, also resulting in Petrushka and The Rite of Spring.

The clip above is, of course, from Disney's Fantasia 2000.   The segment is, in my opinion, the great masterpiece of the entire Fantasia franchise - for the film, for the music and for the glorious marriage of the two.  If you're up for the entire orchestral work, have at it:


Enjoy: A Window Above

What are you listening to these days?


  1. I'm learning to play music on a keyboard and I also bought a violin...hoping to learn :)

    1. Fantastic! It's never too late. My wife has just recently started piano lessons for the first time in her life.

  2. Replies
    1. Definitely one of the most amazing pieces in the world.

  3. I haven't watched that in a long time.
    I should probably fix that.