Track Listing

1. The Firebird: Introduction
2. The Firebird: Kashchei's Magic Garden
3. The Firebird: Appearance Of The Firebird
4. The Firebird: Dance Of The Firebird
5. The Firebird: Ivan-Tsarevich Captures The Firebird
6. The Firebird: The Firebird's Entreaties
7. The Firebird: The Princesses' Game With The Golden Apples
8. The Firebird: Sudden Appearance Of Ivan-Tsarevich
9. The Firebird: The Princesses' Khorovod (Round Dance)
10. The Firebird: Daybreak - Ivan-Tsarevich Enters Kashchei's Palace
11. The Firebird: Magic Carillon, Appearance Of Kashchei's Guardian Monsters And The Capture Of Ivan-Tsarevich - Arrival Of Kashchei The Immortal - Kashchei's dialogue With Ivan-Tsarevich - Intercession Of The Princesses - Appearance Of The Firebird
12. The Firebird: Dance of Kashchei's retinue, Under The Firebird's Spell
13. The Firebird: Infernal Dance Of All Of Kashchei's Subjects
14. The Firebird: Lullaby (The Firebird)
15. The Firebird: Disappearance Of The Palace And Dissolution Of Kashchei's Enchantments; Animation Of The Petrified Knights; General Rejoicing
16. Fireworks: Orchestral Fantasy Op. 4
17. Four Studies: 1. Dance
18. Four Studies: 2. Eccentric
19. Four Studies: 3. Canticle
20. Four Studies: 4. Madrid

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #126732 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

From Amazon.com
Stravinsky did three orchestral versions of his famous ballet, The Firebird (1910). The two that are mostly played today are a shorter version arranged in 1945, which is about 30 minutes long, and the original ballet suite, which is more than 45 minutes long. This is that version. The extended repeats and transitional material, in the right hands, give the whole work a decidedly spectral character. This, Boulez does expertly. (And the CSO has never sounded so...light on its feet.) Also here is the early Fireworks, where you can almost hear The Firebird approaching. The Four Etudes for Orchestra finish the disc like a snifter of brandy. --Paul Cook

Un Essentiel amazon.fr
La stature imposante d'Igor Stravinsky domine sans conteste la musique du XXe siècle. Ses trois grands ballets des années 1910 (L'Oiseau de feu, Petrouchka, Le Sacre du printemps) sont aujourd'hui devenus de grands classiques. Premier par ordre chronologique, L'Oiseau de feu concilie une écriture par moment assez traditionnelle à une orchestration et un sens du rythme totalement stravinskiens. Flamboyante, la vision du chef français est de bout en bout très narrative. D'une splendeur enivrante, la prise de son participe à ce festival de couleurs. À noter que Pierre Boulez a également gravé plusieurs versions de référence du Sacre du printemps et de Petrouchka. Pour Sony, il a aussi donné un enregistrement de la suite de L'Oiseau de feu - il s'agit ici, pour Deutsche Grammophon, de l'enregistrement intégral du ballet. Quoi qu'il en soit, voici un disque absolument essentiel. --Pierre Massé