For this exceptional concert, illustrator Catherine Meurisse’s imagination responds ‘live’ to The Firebird, Stravinsky’s enchanted ballet inspired by a famous Russian folk tale.

Stravinsky’s first creation for the Ballets Russes, The Firebird was a resounding success at its premiere, ushering the young composer into fame with its modernity. Though still greatly influenced by the legacy of Rimsky-Korsakov, from whom he borrowed several Oriental melodic motifs, Stravinsky already revealed with Firebird the multiple facets of his orchestral genius. Indeed, the famous story of Ivan Tsarevich, the demigod Koschei and the fabulous bird inspired the new textures and bold harmonies of Stravinsky’s score, which won the praises of Debussy and Ravel. The energy in the dance, the sense of paroxysm and the grotesque, along with a form of rhythmic brutality, however, foreshadowed the scandal that would erupt several years later with his Rite of Spring.