L'Oiseau de feu The Firebird | |
---|---|
Léon Bakst: Firebird, Ballerina, 1910 | |
Choreographer | Michel Fokine |
Music | Igor Stravinsky |
Based on | Russian folk tales |
When was the Firebird ballet first performed?
The Firebird, ballet by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, first performed in Paris on June 25, 1910. It was the first international success of the composer’s career.
What is the story behind Stravinsky's Firebird ballet?
Igor Stravinsky, c. 1920.G. The ballet is based on the Russian legend of the Firebird, a powerful good spirit whose feathers supposedly convey beauty and protection upon the earth.
What is the story behind Firebird?
Dressed in Chagall’s exquisite sets and costumes, Firebird illustrates an enchanting Russian fairytale and the fantastical creatures of its strange world. In 1910, following the first successful season of the Ballets Russes in Paris, Serge Diaghilev commissioned a full-length ballet score from a young composer, Igor Stravinsky.
What is the musical score for the Firebird?
Stravinsky's musical score for The Firebird opens with the stage empty of dancers. A series of low, haunting notes from a cello slowly are layered with string bass notes, shortly followed by low beating drums and woodwinds. As the Firebird character appears on stage, the music generates a sense of mystery.
Who is the composer of the Firebird Russian ballet?
StravinskyIn 1909, when Stravinsky was 27, he was commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev to write a ballet based on the Russian legend, the Firebird. The work was completed in 1910 and premiered at the Paris Opera.
Who choreographed the Firebird ballet?
choreographer Michel FokineThe result — Firebird — was Stravinsky's first ballet score, and a major critical and popular success for Diaghilev, Stravinsky and its choreographer Michel Fokine.
What is the story of Stravinsky's Firebird?
The music was written by Igor Stravinsky, the Russian composer. In the story, the hero Prince Ivan works with the mythical Firebird to defeat the evil sorcerer Koschei the Deathless and rescue captured princesses, one of whom he marries.
Who wrote the ballet The Firebird and Petrushka?
Igor StravinskyPetrushka (ballet)PetrushkaLibrettoIgor Stravinsky Alexandre BenoisBased onRussian folk materialPremiere13 June 1911 Théâtre du Châtelet ParisOriginal ballet companyBallets Russes8 more rows
Is Firebird true story?
Firebird shares the true story of forbidden love, set in the Soviet Air Force at the height of the Cold War. This film is a journey of following love at all costs, of growing up, and of courage even in the most impossible of situations.
Did Nijinsky dance Firebird?
Anna Pavlova was slated for the role, but found the music incomprehensible and refused to dance it. The great Vaslav Nijinsky wanted to premiere the Firebird role en pointe, but Diaghilev did not permit it.
What ballet is Firebird?
The Firebird, ballet by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, first performed in Paris on June 25, 1910. It was the first international success of the composer's career.
Who choreographed Les Noces?
Bronislava NijinskaArticle Les Noces (ballet in 4 scenes) Music by Igor Stravinsky; sets and costumes by Natalia Goncharova; choreography by Bronislava Nijinska; premiere on 13 June 1923, Théâtre de la Gaîté-Lyrique, Paris.
Is the Firebird a phoenix?
The Firebirds were forced to leave Phoenix following the 1997 season, as the new National League expansion team, the Arizona Diamondbacks would begin play in Phoenix the following year....Phoenix FirebirdsMascotPhineas T. Firebird (1989-1997) Booster Rooster (1978-1985)13 more rows
Who is known as ballet composer?
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is the composer behind some of the most well-known ballet titles we have – The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. He was born in a small town in Russia called Votkinsk in 1840. He showed talent for music early in life but was going to study to work in the civil service.
Who choreographed Petrushka?
Michel FokinePetrushka is a ballet burlesque in four scenes. Alexandre Benois and Igor Stravinsky wrote the story of the ballet. Igor Stravinsky wrote the music. Michel Fokine choreographed the work (designed the dances).
What does Petrushka mean in Russian?
Word origin Although the Russian word "petrushka" has a homonym meaning "parsley", in this context the word is actually a hypocoristic (diminutive) for "Pyotr" (Пётр), which is Peter in Russian.
When was the Firebird Ballet completed?
The Firebird ballet was completed by May 1910 and was promptly sent to Paris, where the dancers were already preparing. A final obstacle arose when the principal ballerina refused to dance the role of the Firebird, declaring that she detested the music, and had to be replaced.
Who collaborated with Stravinsky on the Firebird?
Fokine’s collaboration with Stravinsky on The Firebird (1910) is an example of both score and choreography emerging from long and detailed discussion, during which each artist remained sensitive to the other’s wishes and to the overall idea of the work. There are no rules, however, and while some choreographers dislike…
What is the name of the ballet that Igor Stravinsky composed?
Alternative Title: “L’Oiseau de feu”. The Firebird, ballet by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, first performed in Paris on June 25, 1910. It was the first international success of the composer’s career. Although The Firebird was the work that elevated Stravinsky to international renown, he was offered the commission to compose the ballet for ...
How old was Stravinsky when he was selected for the ballets?
With the premiere at the Paris Opéra quickly approaching, Serge Diaghilev, the grand impresario of the Ballets Russes, selected the inexperienced Stravinsky, then only 27 years old, on the basis of his early orchestral works. Stravinsky received the commission in December 1909 and immediately set to work in St. Petersburg.
What is the ballet based on?
The ballet is based on the Russian legend of the Firebird, a powerful good spirit whose feathers supposedly convey beauty and protection upon the earth. Other characters from Russian lore are also included: the heroic Prince Ivan Tsarevich and the evil sorcerer Kashchei, from whom Ivan must rescue the princess he loves.
Who is Betsy Schwarm?
WRITTEN BY. Betsy Schwarm. Betsy Schwarm is a music historian based in Colorado. She serves on the music faculty of Metropolitan State University of Denver and gives pre-performance talks for Opera Colorado and the Colorado Symphony... See Article History.
Who is able to destroy Kashchei and his followers and marry the princess?
It is only through the intervention of the Firebird, whose life he spares early in the ballet, that Ivan is able to destroy Kashchei and his followers and marry the princess. The folk origins of the story inspired Stravinsky to borrow a few folk melodies in his score.
Who wrote the score for Firebird?
In 1910, following the first successful season of the Ballets Russes in Paris, Serge Diaghilev commissioned a full-length ballet score from a young composer, Igor Stravinsky.
When was the first firebird performed?
New York City Ballet first presented Firebird in 1949 at City Center, with choreography by George Balanchine, scenery and costumes by the painter Marc Chagall, and Maria Tallchief in the leading role.
Why did Balanchine use the orchestral suite?
Because Balanchine chose to use the orchestral suite, rather than the complete three-act score, he simplified the story and emphasized the mythical elements of the Firebird’s character. In 1970, a new production was mounted to adapt to the larger proportions of the New York State Theater (now the David H. Koch Theater).
Who is the actress in the Firebird?
Ronald Bates (original production); Mark Stanley (current production) Inside the Repertory. Teresa Reichlen on FIREBIRD. Teresa Reichlen discusses what makes a Firebird different from a Swan and what it feels like to be in the spotlight dancing to Stravinsky's famous score.
Who created the costumes for the show Kastchei the Wizard?
Koch Theater). The costumes, of extraordinary complexity and fantasy, were created by Madame Karinska from Chagall’s original designs. Chagall expressed great pleasure at the devotion and inventiveness with which Madame Karinska interpreted his watercolor sketches in textiles, plastics, paint, and mineral materials. The choreography represents a collaboration between Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, the latter being responsible for the episode with Kastchei the Wizard and his subjects. Balanchine entirely redesigned his dances in light of the designs, conceiving the ballet as Chagall accompanied by music and dance.
What is the ballet about?
The Firebird ballet tells the story of Prince Ivan who defeats the evil Kastchei with the help of the Firebird, who offers one of her enchanted feathers to Prince Ivan after he spares her life while hunting in the forest. The feather is later used by Prince Ivan to summon the Firebird when he needs her help as Kastchei’s creatures chase after him. The Firebird’s magic makes Kastchei and his creatures fall into a deep sleep so that Prince Ivan can destroy the egg that contains Kastchei’s immortal soul, freeing everyone under his spell including 13 princesses, one of whom Prince Ivan falls in love with.
Does Amazon donate to Evanston Symphony?
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Who played the firebird in Ballets Russes?
Tamara Karsavina as the Firebird in the 1910 Ballets Russes production. WIkimedia Commons
Who directed the firebird ballet?
The Firebird was a production of the Ballets Russes, newly formed by its director, the Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev. For over a decade, Diaghilev had been a leading member of a group known as “Mir iskusstva” (World of Art), the title of their short-lived magazine.
What is the most noticeable element of Stravinsky's score?
The most noticeable element of Stravinsky’s score is the way harmonious, tonal music is given to the mortal characters – Ivan-Tsarevich and the princesses – while chromatic, non-tonal music underscores the supernatural others.
What was Rimsky Korsakov's last opera?
The influence of Rimsky-Korsakov can be noted in other ways, too, not least in his own opera about the very same Kashchey (1902), and his final opera, The Golden Cockerel (1908), also, tellingly, about a magical bird.
What is the storyline of the ballet Firebird?
The ballet’s myth-like storyline features a magical Firebird, who helps a young prince rescue a coterie of princesses from Kashchey, an evil sorcerer.
What is the significance of the firebird?
Yet in Russia, the Firebird had a special significance, emerging as a nationalist symbol over the latter decades of the 19th century. Characterised as a bird of great beauty, it brought peril to those who tried to catch it or steal its glowing feathers.
When did Stravinsky's firebird come out?
On June 25 1910, Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird opened to acclaim at the Paris Opéra. The success propelled its composer, then aged 28, to international prominence, a position of influence he would retain for six decades.
Who was the firebird in Ballet Russes?
The principal ballerina , Anna Pavlova, who was originally cast as the Firebird in the Ballet Russes production refused to dance the part after hearing the music Stravinsky had written. She declared that she detested the music and had to be replaced by another dancer.
Who choreographed the firebird?
The Firebird has been restaged, reproduced, and rechoreographed by numerous choreographers over the years, including George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Graeme Murphy, Alexei Ratmansky, Alvin Ailey, and now Ib Andersen.
What was the first ballet of the Ballet Russes to have an all-original score composed for it?
The Firebird was the first ballet of the Ballet Russes to have an all-original score composed for it.
What did the Firebird give Prince Ivan?
Originally the Firebird hands Prince Ivan one of her feathers as a talisman, but in Andersen’s production the Firebird hands the prince a crystal.
How long is the screen for Ballet Arizona?
Ballet Arizona had a custom 90-foot-long screen built by German company, Gerriets, who specializes in creating set pieces for the theatre, in order to make Andersen’s multi-media ballet come to life. The screen will detach into 4 separate pieces that will need to be assembled and disassembled before and after each production at Symphony Hall.