Stravinsky - Firebird Suite

from Free Albums Galore by Marvin

In the early 20th century, composer Igor Stravinsky created a triple crown of sort through three seminal works for the ballet; The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. All three were commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev. the fiery impresario of the ballet company, Ballet Russes. The Firebird was the first composition , written and performed in 1910. Compared to the other two works, it is romantically conservative yet has the mark of a young firebrand of a composer who would soon be turning the musical world on its ears. The mark of the Russian nationalist composers is quite heavy but even this early part of the 20th century, Stravinsky was finding his own influential sound.

This version of The Firebird Suite was recorded on 78rpm discs in 1940 by the All-American Orchestra directed by Leopold Stokowski. It is a marvelous rendition deserving of any classical music collector’s collection. The sound is quite good considering the age and the transfer to MP3 by F. Reeder is, as expected, exceptional.

This work is available from the 78rpm collection of the Internet Archives.

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