The Firebird Tickets | Schedule for 2024/2025 Events

The Firebird

Igor Stravinsky got ideas for his music for the ballet from the Russian folk tale "The Firebird."

The story of the Firebird ballet is about how The Firebird helps Prince Ivan defeat the villainous Kastchei. The Firebird gives Prince Ivan one of her magical feathers after he saves her life while hunting in the forest.

Later, when Kastchei's creatures are chasing after Prince Ivan, he uses the feather to call the Firebird to help him. The magic of the Firebird puts With the aid of the Firebird, Prince Ivan vanquishes the villainous Kastchei.

This releases everyone under Kastchei's incantation, including 13 princesses, one of whom Prince Ivan falls in love with.

Sergei Diaghilev, who was in charge of the Ballets Russes, a ballet company based in Paris, did not want Stravinsky to write the music for the ballet.

With the aid of the Firebird, Prince Ivan can vanquish the villainous Kastchei. There is a story that Lyadov had "composer's block" and couldn't pen down any music for The Firebird.

However, it is unknown whether Lyadov ever agreed to write the music. Stravinsky, who was 28 then, did the job in the end. The Ballets Russes performed The Firebird at the Paris Opera for the first time in 1910.

Michel Fokine was in charge of the dance steps. Stravinsky's first international success came from the success of The Firebird, which is still performed as a ballet and as an orchestral suite on its own.

The Firebird: Things You Should Know

For The Firebird, the first ballet by the Ballet Russes, a completely new score was written. In the original production, the stories of The Firebird and Kastchei the Deathless were combined into one exciting story.

In the original version, the Firebird gave Prince Ivan one of her feathers as a talisman, but in Andersen's performance, she gave him a crystal.

Fabio Toblini, a well-known Italian costume designer, makes all 48 costumes for Andersen's play from scratch. Toblini embroidered all the monsters' outfits in a way that they appeared like pieces of machinery with buttons and tech gadgets.

Igor Stravinsky wrote this unique piece when he was only 28 years old. Stravinsky and Sergei Diaghilev, who started Ballet Russes, worked together for a long time because of how good this piece was. Together, they made two more famous ballets: Petrushka and The Rite of Spring.

About 70 people, including dancers, the production crew, and sewists, will be needed for each performance of Andersen's The Firebird.