Suite from the Ballet: The Firebird (1919)

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:06]Probably you saw younger versions of ourselves on the photos.

[00:00:13]When Few Wins was first founded, most of the players were in their 20s and 30s.

[00:00:18]It's been 25 years. We've grown 25 older, 25 years older. And um at the same time, we still have young blood joining us. So, we're becoming increasingly multigenerational and we hope to become increasingly even more multigenerational. Maybe last for another 25 years, 50 years, 100 years and beyond where people from school bands continue their lifelong engagement in music where grandchildren make music together with grandparents, 70 year olds make music together with 30 and 40. Wouldn't that be lovely? Thank you for your support that made today possible.

[00:01:07]All too soon, we've come to the end of this evening's concert. The final piece, the Firebird, the title of today's concert. We'll be playing the concert suite. So, here's the truncated story.

[00:01:18]So we begin in the enchanted garden of the evil king Katchchai. At the beginning you hear boom boom all the low notes very colorful very magical.

[00:01:28]Unfortunately he's quite an evil person.

[00:01:31]He captures young ladies and he turned young men into stones.

[00:01:38]Okay. So Prince Ivan was walking along and enters into the enchanted garden.

[00:01:42]And of course he meets one of the princess who was uh held captive and of course they fall in love and they want to get married. Um unfortunately King Katshai wouldn't let that happen and he wants to cast a spell on Prince Ivan and wants to turn Ivan into a stone. Just before he could do that who came to the rescue? The firebird. The firebird cast a smell on king catchai and his subjects and you'll hear a very frenzy infernal dance and they dance and they dance and they dance and eventually they fall in exhaustion. We hear a lullaby a very beautiful bassoon solo. Um and after that Prince Ivan broke the coat was able to break the spell of King Kashchai and um managed to free the souls. So the finale, the those who were cast into stones became humans again. Those who were held captured were freed. Everybody was reunited with their loved ones. And of course, Prince Ivan marries the beautiful princess and everybody live happily ever after.

[00:02:48]If this is a very difficult piece for the symphony orchestra, it's even more so for the wind orchestra because now wind players have to play violin parts, especially clarinets and many many other instruments. Yeah. So, it's very hard to replicate the orchestral version. But instead of going, oh, it doesn't quite replicate the orchestra version, how about letting this new arrangement uh help you listen to the piece with fresh ears. We're going to hear saxophones.

[00:03:12]We're going to hear euphoniums. We're going to hear contrabased clarinet.

[00:03:16]We're going to hear fresh colors. Let this speak, let this piece speak to you alive, fresh. So, 25 years ago, the first concert ended with this piece. 25 years later, we end today's concert with the Firebird. So on behalf of the wind orchestra, I would like to thank acting minister David Neil for gracing this evening's concert. Thank you, Minister Neil.

[00:03:51]Like to also thank all distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. So sit back, relax, go back 25 years ago, Victoria Concert Hall. That's where we had our first concert, Stravinsky's the Firebird.

[00:04:48]Heat. Heat.

[00:05:58]Thank you.

[00:09:33]Hallelujah.

[00:11:03]Forever.

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