Stravinsky wrote his orchestral fantasy Fireworks, while still a young man in 1908. He sent the finished score to his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov, who was in no position to give his blessing to the composition, as he died before the postman could deliver it. The first performance – and the last for many years – was only a partial success. Glazunov, who enjoyed great respect, malicously dismissed it as “no talent, only dissonance.” By contrast, the powerful director of the Ballet Rousse, Sergei Diagilev, was bowled over by the interesting effects and astonishing richness of colour that this lively but short piece of music contained. He decided to commission the young Stravinsky to write the music for a ballet that was still in the planning stage called “The Firebird.” The rest, as they say, is history, and we can justifably claim that Fireworks was the composition that launched Stravinsky's career.