by 
Born: 1882 in Lomonosov, Russia
Died: 1971 in New York City
Era: Modern
Musically, The Firebird is considered the first artistically mature work of the 28-year old composer. Stravinsky took the lessons learned from his Master teacher, the Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov and brought them into the 20th century. Rimsky-Korsakov was amazingly creative in how used the orchestral instruments, finding ways to paint magical creatures in sound, and combining instruments to create soaring melodies. Stravinsky took Rimsky-Korsakov’s palate of color and, step-by-step, crafted a new language of driving rhythms and angular melodies.
Finale
Kaschei has been destroyed. The scene shifts as his evil world fades into a mist of gently descending strings. A soothing but strong melody emerges, accompanied by glissandos of the harp and melodic decorations throughout the orchestra. The music builds to a triumphant tone as the grotesque creatures realize they are free of Kashei’s evil spell. Now handsome princes, they reunite with their princesses, while Ivan Tsarevich and his beloved princess take their places as king and queen.
