The Rite Of Spring, rightly considered one of the most influential avant-garde works of the 20th century, is paired here with The Firebird, the other absolute masterpiece written by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). The two creations were inspired by Russian folk legends, and composed in Paris between 1910 and 1913 for performance by the famous "Ballets Russes" directed by Serge de Diaghilev. The ballets were visionary, modern and incandescent, and the work of this young pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov caused a scandal on the eve of The Great War. These pieces announced the end of "La Belle Époque" and took music straight into the modern era. Recorded between 1940 and 1946 with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Stravinsky himself, these historic versions allow you to hear two masterpieces from the symphonic repertoire in their most authentic sound incarnations, just as their author intended.