The Firebird - Versions

Versions

Besides the complete 50-minute ballet score of 1909–10 (written for a very large orchestra including double woodwind and three harps, as well as a piano), there are three shorter 'suites', arranged by the composer himself for concert performance. These date from 1911, 1919 and 1945. While the 1919 suite remains the most well known and often played, the 1945 version contains the most music from the original ballet score (partly motivated by the need to secure copyright in a USA that did not recognize European agreements).

There is no consensus for the precise naming of either the different versions, or of the movements, or the numbering of the movements. Different recordings tend to follow different naming conventions. While this partly might be due to the English translation from the original French names, some recordings of the orchestral suites even avoid referring to the tale by just calling the movements by their tempo markings (i.e., Adagio, Allegro, etc.) or the name of the musical form (i.e., Scherzo, Rondo, etc.).

Many adaptations of the Firebird Suite for concert band, marching band and drum corps have been made throughout the years. There are also multiple versions of the choreography for The Firebird—for example, Graeme Murphy's 2009 version.