The Firebird - Ravishing at Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall

The Firebird ballet made the young Stravinsky a celebrity. You can hear the influence of his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov (think Scheherazade ) but there are all the signs of a truly original voice in the making. The music mixes Russian folk influences, exotic harmonies and brilliant use of the orchestra to absolutely delicious effect.

Szymanowski gave the world the first modern violin concerto and it shares with Firebird opulence and magical use of colour. Ravishing! Peter Sculthorpe, in his first SSO commission in 1965, captured the implacable brightness of the Australian sun, with a compelling musical language that laid the foundations for a distinctive Australian sound.

Fantastically evocative music by three 20th-century composers who were putting themselves on the musical map.

Program:
SCULTHORPE Sun Music I
SZYMANOWSKI Violin Concerto No.1
STRAVINSKY The Firebird - Ballet (1910)