Suite: The Firebird (1945)

Introduction - The Firebird and its Dance

Round of the Princesses (Khorovod)

Infernal Dance of King Kaschei

Berceuse

Finale

Once, when Stravinsky asked Debussy what he really thought of The Firebird, his first ballet, the older composer replied, “Well, you had to begin somehow, didn’t you?” Stravinsky himself had an ambiguous attitude towards the work. Even in 1909, when he first applied himself to it, he did not find the subject attractive. But, as a young and little known composer approached by Diaghilev, Fokine, Nijinsky, Bakst and Benois in concert, he could scarcely refuse. Although it was The Firebird ballet, first performed in Paris in 1910, which began his international career, and although the orchestral suite has remained his most popular work, he was still embarrassed by it years afterwards. The original “wastefully large” instrumentation he revised in 1919, when he wrote a second suite, and again in 1945, when he put together a third and longer orchestral suite. Such critical actions, he said, “are stronger than words.”

He was, however, happy with the Introduction, at least from a structural point of view, since its chains of alternating thirds and seconds and the prominent tritones link it with later scenes where there is a strong supernatural element. Here, on muted lower strings, they are strongly evocative of the atmosphere of King Kaschei’s enchanted garden, where the Firebird comes to feed on the golden fruits growing on silver trees. Stravinsky was also proud of the magical sound of glissando harmonics, which was a new effect for strings in its day. The next section, The Firebird and its Dance, is a brilliantly detailed study in orchestration, with no real theme apart from the augmented fourths that characterise the Firebird but with an iridescent sound to match her plumage and with erratic rhythms to suggest her flight.

In the 1919 Suite the second movement is the Round of the Princesses. As captives of Kaschei, they - together with Prince Ivan who with the help of the Firebird will eventually rescue them - represent the human element in the ballet and are characterised by diatonic melody. Both the oboe melody and the slightly quicker one introduced by first violins are, in fact, derived from Russian folk song. The Infernal Dance of King Kaschei is a violent contrast, not only because of the explosive dynamics and the ferocious rhythmic syncopations but also because of the malevolent non-diatonic intervals in the melodic line. It is interesting, however, that Stravinsky can use the same intervals with a disarmingly gentle effect in the Berceuse, where the Firebird charms King Kaschei and his followers to sleep. The final triumph over Kaschei must naturally, be a celebration of diatonic melody. Once again Russian folk song gave Stravinsky just what he wanted - a broad 3/2 melody called By the Gate, which positively thrives under the weight of orchestration he hangs on it, flourishes when reshaped into a 7/4 fanfare, and prospers magnificently in augmentation.

Introduction - Prelude and Dance of the Firebird -

Pantomime 1 -

Pas de deux: Firebird and Ivan Tsarevich -

Pantomime II -

Scherzo: Dance of the Princesses -

Pantomime III -

Rondo (Khorovod) -

Infernal Dance -

Lullaby (Firebird) -

Final Hymn

Stravinsky once asked Debussy for his honest opinion of The Firebird. Although he was not flattered by the reply - “Well, you had to begin somehow, didn’t you?”- he too had a critical attitude towards the work. Even in 1909, when he first applied himself to it, he found the subject unattractive. But a commission from Sergei Diaghilev and the prospect of a glamorous first performance at the Paris Opéra amounted to an offer that a young composer unknown outside Russia could scarcely refuse. So, although the ballet established his international reputation on its first performance in 1910, and although the orchestral suite he drew from it in 1911 quickly spread through the concert halls of Europe, his Firebird music was a long-term source of embarrassment. In 1919, in a spirit of post-war economy, he reduced the original “wastefully large” instrumentation of the ballet and compiled a second suite from the new score. In 1945, unhappy with form of the 1919 suite, he put together a third and longer suite. Such “direct musical criticisms,” he said, “are stronger than words.”

He was always happy with the Introduction, however - at least from a structural point of view, since its prominent tritones link it with those later scenes where there is a strong supernatural element. Here, on muted lower strings, they are magically evocative of the atmosphere of King Kaschei’s enchanted garden, where the Firebird comes to feed on golden fruits growing on silver trees. The next section is a brilliantly detailed study in orchestral colour with no real theme, apart from the Firebird’s characteristic tritones, but with the sound to match the iridescence of her plumage and the rhythms to suggest her erratic flight.

In both the 1911 and 1945 suites the next two major items are the Pas de Deux and the Scherzo - which in the latter case, so as to preserve the unbroken continuity of the construction, are connected to each other and to the movements before and after them by three very short Pantomime (or mime) sections. In the Pas de Deux the Firebird, caught in Kaschei’s garden by Prince Ivan, pleads with him to let her go. The Scherzo is a playful dance for thirteen princesses held in thrall by the evil King Kashchei, who himself puts in a dramatic appearance in the third of the Pantomime sections.

The last four movements are much the same as those of the 1919 suite. A particularly attractive example of the diatonic melody which distinguishes the human from the magical element in the Firebird score, the Rondo (or Khorovod) of the Princesses is based on two Russian folk songs. The Infernal Dance of King Kaschei is a violent contrast, not only because of the explosive dynamics and the ferocious rhythmic syncopations but also because of the malevolent non-diatonic intervals in the melodic line. The same intervals are used, but this time with a disarmingly gentle effect, in the Berceuse, where the Firebird charms King Kaschei and his followers to sleep. Ivan’s final triumph over Kaschei must naturally, be a celebration of diatonic melody. Once again Russian folk song gave Stravinsky just what he wanted - a broadly expressive melody called By the Gate, which thrives under the weight of the orchestral panoply he hangs on it and flourishes in whatever rhythm he applies to it.