Classical Ballet Igor Stravinsky "The Firebird" (Russian fairytale in two scenes) World famous Mariinsky Ballet and Opera - established 1783
Running time: 50 minutes
Schedule for Igor Stravinsky "The Firebird" (Russian fairytale in two scenes) 2022
Composer: Igor Stravinsky Composer: Igor Stravinsky Lighting Designer: Vladimir Lukasevich Choreography: Michel Fokine
Orchestra: Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra
Classical Ballet in 1 acts
World premiere: 25 June 1910, Les Ballets Russes de Serge de Diaghilev, Théâtre de l´Opéra, Paris
Premiere of this production: 26 May 1994 , Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia
Firebird, a story finding its roots in Russian folktales is full of love and magic. It tells the story of Prince Ivan, lost in the forest of the evil and immortal Kastchei. Prince Ivan spots a magnificent creature picking golden apples and he captures her. The creature is the Firebird. Desperate for her release, the Firebird gives him a magic feather in exchange for her freedom.
The Firebird was Igor Stravinsky’s first ballet score. It was commissioned by Serge Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes and had its premiere in 1910 at the Paris Opéra. Its success marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between Stravinsky and Diaghilev that would also produce Petrushka and The Rite of Spring. The Royal Ballet’s production uses the brilliant costumes and glittering sets of the avant-garde artist Natalia Goncharova, which were created for the Ballets Russes’ production of 1926.
Both Stravinsky’s score and Mikhail Fokine’s choreography were groundbreaking. Fokine shifted from classical ballet towards a more realist and folk-derived style of movement, while Stravinsky incorporated elements of folk song into his music. The Firebird provides a ballerina with a dazzling role: she enters the stage in a flash of movement and the charged Dance of the Firebird is accompanied by bold choreography. The work culminates in the wedding of Prince Ivan and the Tsarevna – a scene of great pomp and ceremony, against Goncharova’s glorious cityscape of onion domes.
russian fairytale in two scenes
Reconstruction: Isabelle Fokine, Andris Liepa Set and costume design: Anna and Anatoly Nezhny after original sketches: Alexander Golovin, Leon Bakst and Michel Fokine
World premiere: 25 June 1910, Les Ballets Russes de Serge de Diaghilev, Theatre de l`Opera, Paris
Synopsis
Prince Ivan ventures into the garden of the evil Kashchei. He catches the magical Firebird. She promises to aid the Prince whenever he needs help if he will release her. He takes a magic feather from the bird's tail, then releases her. Twelve princesses with the Tsarevna (daughter of the Tsar) dance. They are in the power of Kashchei. Prince Ivan falls in love with the Tsarevna. He asks Kashchei whether he can marry her. Kashchei is angry and sends his monsters after the Prince. Kashchei is about to turn him to stone, when the Prince waves the feather. The Firebird appears, and comes to the Prince’s rescue. She casts a spell on the monsters. They fall asleep. The Firebird tells the Prince that Kashchei’s soul lies in an egg. The Prince smashes the egg. Kashchei loses his power, the monsters, and his palace. The Prince marries the Tsarevna.Prince Ivan ventures into the garden of the evil Kashchei. He catches the magical Firebird. She promises to aid the Prince whenever he needs help if he will release her. He takes a magic feather from the bird's tail, then releases her. Twelve princesses with the Tsarevna (daughter of the Tsar) dance. They are in the power of Kashchei. Prince Ivan falls in love with the Tsarevna. He asks Kashchei whether he can marry her. Kashchei is angry and sends his monsters after the Prince. Kashchei is about to turn him to stone, when the Prince waves the feather. The Firebird appears, and comes to the Prince’s rescue. She casts a spell on the monsters. They fall asleep. The Firebird tells the Prince that Kashchei’s soul lies in an egg. The Prince smashes the egg. Kashchei loses his power, the monsters, and his palace. The Prince marries the Tsarevna.
Schedule for Igor Stravinsky "The Firebird" (Russian fairytale in two scenes) 2022
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