The Hallé Stravinsky's Firebird

Exhilaration is the hallmark of Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’. A vivid musical depiction of a fairytale, its music can be sweet, tender, mysterious or magical one moment… dark, intense, powerful and even harrowing the next. Edge of seat stuff. Debussy’s ‘Prélude’ is in some ways the opposite – smooth, laid back, like a fevered dream, drifting in and out of consciousness. In places, Khachaturian’s violin concerto continues that dreamlike intoxicating rich melody, while at the same time incorporating music inspired by the energy of folk dance rhythms of the composer’s native Armenia.