Firebird: Flames and Fury Program Notes

Firebird: Flames and Fury | January 25th, 2025 | 7:00 PM | Union Colony Civic Center

Program Notes by Nicholas Gilmore and Adelyn Wimmer

Roman Carnival Overture (8’)

Hector Berlioz was an animated character in the Parisian world of music as a composer, conductor, and theater-goer known for works like his famous Symphonie Fantastique, though not all of his compositions enjoyed such success in his lifetime. His first opera, Benvenuto Cellini, closed after only four performances and was a complete failure in its time. The ever-resilient Berlioz gathered themes from the first act and parts of the carnival scene to create his “Le carnaval romain” in 1843, a work that has become a staple of the orchestral repertoire. A showpiece for members of the orchestra, it was such an instant success that it was encored the day it premiered.

Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture (19’)

Historians say that Tchaikovsky was homosexual, which he had to conceal while residing in Tsarist Russia. Tragic love stories during the Romantic Era allowed the composer to cope with societal conflicts and secret personal experiences. Within his Fantasy-Overture of Romeo and Juliet, he focused on the main characters and themes from the Shakespearean play. The short programmatic work captures the striking emotion and conflict of love and tragedy. After revision advice from Balakirev, a well-known Russian composer during that time, the melody has become one of Tchaikovsky’s most recognized

Karelia Suite, Op. 11 (21’)

The composer Jean Sibelius is widely considered to be the most well-known and celebrated of Finnish composers. His music has been credited with helping Finland develop a sense of self identity, and often centers on nationalistic themes. The region of Karelia has been associated with folk traditions, storytelling, song, and incredible landscapes for centuries. J. R. R. Tolkien used the area as inspiration for his Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Sibelius himself chose Karelia as the destination for his honeymoon. Originally a larger work of several more movements and nearly 45 minutes in length, it was abridged to a suite six years after its completion to only three movements. The remaining movements are believed to have been burned by the composer along with the score for several other works including his Symphony No. 8.

Firebird Suite (1919) (21’)

Igor Stravinsky’s L’Oiseau de feu (The Firebird) is a ballet written in 1910 for the internationally known ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Diaghilev needed a special new production for the end of the season, and was unable to procure more popular composers of the time. He was impressed with the work he heard from the 28-year old Stravinsky, and decided to offer him the chance to create the ballet’s season finale. The score brilliantly crawls through the fall of the evil Kastchei, a creature that captures princesses and turns rescuing knights to stone. The suite pulls the chromatic modern sounds, dances, and unforgettable orchestration from the best parts of the ballet into a work that is now recognizable around the world.