Igor Stravinsky was still very much unknown when he composed the commissioned L’Oiseau de feu (The Firebird). This was Stravinsky’s first genuine contribution to ballet, which in his own words, he “loved more than anything.”; This double CD album includes both the version for orchestra, performed by The Basel Symphony Orchestra, as well as the version for piano four hands.; There was no piano arrangement for four hands by the composer himself. Principal Conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Basel Dennis Russel Davies, arranged this version exclusively for this recording. The arrangement is based on the original transcription for piano two hands by Stravinsky, which is now kept in the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel.; Dennis Russell Davis performs the arrangement alongside his wife, Maki Namekawa.
