b'concerto which not only turned out to be a great musical masterwork, but also a cornerstone of the cello repertory.Wihan suggested that Dvok make the concerto a virtuostic one with two cadenzas, which Dvok promptly ignored, opting to write a piece that focused on emotional aspects rather than technical gymnastics. The work was completed in three months time.While nearing completion of the work, he received news that his wifes sister, Josefina Kaunitzov, was gravely ill. In response to hearing this news, he used one of his songs, Leave Me Alone, Op. 82, No. 1, which was a favorite of Josefinas, as the main theme of the second movement. Some thirty years prior to this, Josefina had been Dvoks student, and he fell hopelessly in love with her. Unable to win her heart, he married her sister instead.Shortly after his return to his native Bohemia, Josefina died. As a tribute to her death, Dvok recomposed the end of the third movement to include a beautiful and moving allusion to the song in a duet between the cello and a solo violin. Instrumentationtwo flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, three horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, cymbal, and solo celloDuration40 minutesIgor Stravinsky(1882- 1971)The Firebird: Suite (1919)Composed 1909-1910, rev. 1919In 1908 Sergei Diaghilev, persuaded by his friend Alexandre Benois, proposed a Russian ballet for the Paris Grand Opera. This was an attractive idea given the untenable costliness of staging an opera and the recent French interest in Russian dance. Benois immediately began collaborating with choreographer Michel Fokine. After drawing from several books of Russian fairy tales, the pair stumbled upon the idea of combining the Russian tale of Koschei with the unrelated mythical firebird. The idea was possibly inspired by a popular childs verse by Yakov Polonsky, A Winters Journey, which includes the lines: princetonsymphony.org/ 15/ princetonfestival.org'