IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971): The Firebird, Greeting Prelude, STRAVINSKY/TCHAIKOVSKY: Pas-de-deux "Bluebird" from Sleeping Beauty, STRAVINSKY/SIBELIUS: Canzonetta, Op. 62a, STRAVINSKY/ CHOPIN: Nocturne in A Flat, Op. 32/1, Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 18.

Description: Needless to say, this is here for the 23 minutes of Stravinsky arrangements of other composer's music. The two Chopin pieces were commissioned in 1909 by Diaghilev for an expansion of Fokine's ballet Chopiniana. Later called Les Sylphides, these were used to begin and end the ballet but quickly dropped from use and were never published. The Tchaikovsky numbers, originally cut from the ballet's 1890 premiere, were only available in piano score when Diaghilev asked for orchestrations in 1921, while the Sibelius piece was arranged from the string orchestra original in 1963 for four horns, clarinet, bass clarinet, harp and double bass. Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra; Andrew Litton.  SACD hybrid