Igor Stravinsky
L'Oiseau de Feu

A sound moves in the darkness, slow and heavy. It is the double basses that foreshadow something monstrous and fascinating. Imagine finding yourself in the fog. Something is approaching, but you can't distinguish what.

Then after three minutes, here comes a variation.
Explosive, as always in a Stravinsky ballet.

From the darkness comes something bright, very fast, constantly circling around you, impossible to grasp. But finally, it settles, and lets itself be caressed: after probing you, it is ready to keep you company.

This is how the first of three ballets that made 20th-century history begins: "The Firebird", "Petrushka", and "The Rite of Spring".

In the part I described, a young prince, Ivan, a young and curious prince, discovers and chases a magical firebird; after capturing it, Ivan releases it in exchange for a magic feather, which will allow him to enter the castle of the King Kaschei, an evil jailer of princesses.
When Ivan reaches the castle, he meets Kaschei: we are at the apotheosis of the work. The music underscores the battle between good and evil, on one side the low tones seem to describe Kaschei's power, and his powerful blows with which he tries to destroy Ivan; they are contrasted by high and lively sounds, almost indicating Ivan's attempt to dodge Kaschei’s and his guards' blows.
The battle seems unequal; but it is precisely the feather of that fleeting firebird that saves Ivan, sending the guards into a destructive vortex: here the music becomes even more violent, disharmonious, much like some parts of The Rite. Finally, after destroying Kaschei's soul, contained in an egg, he can free and marry the most beautiful of the princesses.

The music becomes ethereal and immortal in the finale, the most magnificent moment of the work, marking Ivan's maturation and his victory of good over evil.

Just as in The Rite, the music shapes its own sonic form and follows the episodes; the expressive freedom is total. When you follow such a work it seems like entering a contemporary Eisenstein film, like in "Alexander Nevsky" when, I'll never forget that scene, the German army is swallowed by the ice of Russia.

I believe no other composer can communicate such an intense vital force, through continuous thematic changes and sudden sound "explosions". Music has never been this expressive, bringing out so many images (in fact, in both "Fantasia" films there's a Stravinsky piece).

The ballet is from 1910 and was composed by Stravinsky at only thirty years old. It represented the beginning of his rise in Europe, and his greatest success, until he was forced to leave (alongside many other Russian artists, including the aforementioned Eisenstein) due to the repressive Stalinist-communist cultural policy (I emphasize Stalinist to not offend any communist).

Undoubtedly one of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century, second only to The Rite of Spring of which you can find a beautiful review on this site.