Experience all the color, energy, and soul that makes Russian music so exciting. Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 is laced with the composer’s hallmark melancholy and cutting sarcasm, but is also a spectacular showpiece for the soloist, particularly in the massive third movement cadenza and dizzying finale. Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird, a work inspired by Russian folklore, has a cinematic sensibility. Luxuriously scored for a massive orchestra, Stravinsky uses this vast orchestral palette to vividly depict demons and wild infernal dances to thrilling effect.