Experience Stravinsky's Soaring Firebird Suite

When the Firebird Suite premiered in Paris in 1910, it launched a young Igor Stravinsky from relative obscurity to the upper echelons of classical music, paving the way for one of the most influential composing careers the world has ever seen. Experience the soaring Russian folk-tinged melodies and serene horn solos of the breakthrough ballet during the San Francisco Symphony's two week Stravinsky Festival, helmed by the ensemble baton-wielding fearless leader Michael Tilson Thomas.

Based on the well-known Russian legends of the Firebird, the powerful benevolent spirit whose glowing plumage protects the earth and spreads beauty, and the immortal warrior Kashchei, the watershed piece is a thrilling, constantly building musical thrill ride that blends the hallmarks of the classic hero's quest fairy story with action, adventure and drama. The evening's program also includes Stravinsky's Persephone, a rousing, religiously-inclined tone-painting-cum-melodrama based on the Greek myth.