Stravinsky: Petrushka & Firebird Suite

Featuring

Klaus Tennstedt
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Igor Stravinsky

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Composition History

For The Firebird, Igor Stravinsky was not the first or second choice for the commission; he was chosen after other composers, including Anatoly Liadov, were deemed too slow.

Performer Biography

Klaus Tennstedt, the conductor on this album, was born in East Germany and achieved world recognition after moving to the West in 1971.

Performer Biography

Klaus Tennstedt had a unique and remarkable relationship with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, serving as their Principal Conductor and Music Director from 1983 until illness ended it prematurely.

Composer Biography

Igor Stravinsky, though gifted, was considered a late developer and The Firebird was his first score on such an ambitious scale.

Composition History

Sergei Diaghilev, director of the Ballets Russes, persuaded Igor Stravinsky to expand his initial idea for Petrushka into a full-length ballet.

Compositional Technique

In The Firebird, Igor Stravinsky devised a new orchestral effect: the whispered, iridescent 'harmonic glissandos' of the strings during the Introduction.

Composition History

Igor Stravinsky conceived Petrushka as an orchestral piece where the piano would play the most important part, initially envisioning a puppet brought to life.