Andris Nelsons and the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra pair two of
Igor Stravinsky's masterpieces on this 2010 Orfeo release, The Firebird and the Symphony of Psalms. Recorded in the highly resonant Birmingham Symphony Hall, the first selection is a performance of the complete 1910 ballet on a Russian fairy tale, which is followed by the neo-classical setting of psalms for chorus and orchestra
Stravinsky composed in 1930. Stylistically, these works are poles apart in
Stravinsky's canon, for the soft impressionism of The Firebird couldn't be more different than the dry and austere music of the Symphony of Psalms, which was a product of his neo-classical period.