Iván Fischer has put together the programme for this concert from works by two great Russian composers of the 20th century, Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky. Prokofiev composed his Overture on Hebrew Themes in the United States in autumn 1919. The original version was written for a sextet of Jewish musicians called the Zimro Ensemble, and Prokofiev produced an arrangement for chamber orchestra after its successful New York première. His Violin Concerto in G minor was written for the French violinist Robert Soetens in 1935. Originally, the piece was intended to be a sonata for violin and piano, but it outgrew these limits during composition.
Stravinsky’s ballet Jeu de cartes was written for the American Ballet company in 1936, with choreography by George Balanchine. The suite performed at this concert presents “three deals” one after another: all three begin with a march-like introduction, symbolising the shuffling and dealing of the cards. The protagonists in the stage action are all cards in a game of poker, where the joker disturbs the peace.
Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird, written to accompany Mikhail Fokine’s choreography, was described as a “Fairy-tale ballet in two tableaux”. The work was premièred in Paris in 1910 by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. It was Stravinsky’s first work for Diaghilev, and brought the young composer immediate fame and recognition. A year later he produced an orchestral suite from the ballet, which he would revise twice later on. The second suite, dating from 1919, is the one most commonly heard in concert halls.

Presented by: Budapest Festival Orchestra