Experience Stravinsky’s The Firebird like never before. Paired with the storytelling power of larger-than-life puppets designed by South African director and creator Janni Younge, world-renowned for the award-winning play War Horse, this evocative production draws from the symbolism of the original ballet choreography and reinterprets it in a contemporary South African setting. Music Director Cristian Mӑcelaru, the CSO and expert puppeteers and dancers from Janni Younge Productions come together in this sonic and theatrical depiction of The Firebird that builds to a dramatic, fiery finish. Mahler’s unfinished tone poem Totenfeier opens the program — a deeply introspective and intense experience, the work ultimately developed into the opening of his monumental Resurrection Symphony.

EPSG:4326

Stravinsky’s Firebird

Cincinnati Music Hall

The San Francisco Symphony and Chorus and conductor Cristian Măcelaru harness the visceral energy of three intensely colored Stravinsky works. Stage director Janni Younge’s Firebird draws on the symbolism and dramaturgy of Michel Fokine’s original choreography (based on figures from Russian folklore) and reinterprets them in a contemporary South African setting, using larger-than-life puppets and African dance forms. Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms applies neoclassical rigor to ancient ritual through distinctive choral writing. Tender and life-affirming, The Song of the Nightingale reminds us that only the mortal is precious: fake birds lull us with sterile perfection; real ones rouse us back to life.

Janni Younge

Events

Upcoming events

3 - 5 Jun, 2027

Stravinsky Firebird Staged · San Francisco Symphony

Past events

24 - 25 Apr, 2026

Stravinsky’s Firebird · Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

About

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