Russian composer Igor Stravinsky grew up in a musical family: his father was a professional opera singer, and his mother was a pianist and amateur vocalist. So it was no real surprise when, after years of piano lessons, he began writing his own compositions at the age of 15.
Despite his obvious passion and aptitude for composing for music, his parents were intent on him becoming a lawyer. Aiming to please, he went to study law and philosophy at the University of Saint Petersburg in 1901.
But (obviously) he didn't give up on music.
In 1902, he made an extended visit to the home of famed Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who became Stravinsky's mentor, tutoring him in musical composition. (Stravinsky's interest in his legal studies waned pretty quickly.)
The turning point in Stravinsky's musical career came after he created an expressive, somewhat-experimental piece in 1909 called Feyerverk (Fireworks) as a wedding present for Rimsky-Korsakov's daughter. The artistic director of the Parisian Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev, happened to catch a performance of the piece in St. Petersburg and immediately sensed that Stravinsky had the kind of "fresh blood" that he wanted in a composer for his ballet company. Diaghilev quickly offered Stravinsky the job of composing music for a new ballet that was loosely based upon the Russian folktale, The Firebird.
(Quick synopsis of the story: The sorcerer, Kastchei, has placed everything in his kingdom under an evil spell. The hero, Prince Ivan, wanders into the kingdom garden and finds the mythical Firebird there. He tries and succeeds at catching her. But she bargains with Ivan that, if he lets her go, she'll help him if he's ever in need. He agrees and releases her. As Ivan wanders the garden, he spots a princess who's being held under Kastchei's spell and instantly falls in love with her. He follows the princess back to Kastchei's castle, where he's captured by the sorcerer's evil henchmen. Just before Ivan is about to be turned to stone, the Firebird suddenly appears and leads Kastchei and his minions in the frenetic "Infernal Dance" until they pass out from exhaustion, giving Ivan time to destroy a giant egg that houses Kastchei's soul. Kastchei dies, which frees both the princess and the Firebird from the evil spell. Ivan and the princess are reunited. The Firebird flies away. Curtain. Applause. Everybody exits the hall and tries to flag down a cab.)
The very last part of the story is what's relevant to the piece of music here—its full title: "Scene II - Kastchei's spell is broken, his palace disappears, and the Petrified Knights return to life. General thanksgiving."
Long and short: it's the grand finale of the entire work.
Even if you had no clue about the folktale behind the composition, you'd probably still realize that it's a song about triumph over adversity. It begins humbly and softly: the lone, pure voice of a muted French horn, playing the main theme. Then, it swells as strings and woodwinds join in. Finally, it bursts forth with soul-stirring brass and timpani; it is the sound of victory and freedom of the spirit. Few pieces of music are more life-affirming.
It's no wonder that the composition made Stravinsky an overnight sensation in 1910.
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