The Firebird is a ballet by Igor Stravinsky, written for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. It was based on Russian fairy tales about a magical bird whose feathers bring both blessing and curse, and it tells how Prince Ivan battles the immortal sorcerer Koschei with the bird's help. Premiered at the Paris Opera on 25 June 1910, it was an instant hit that launched Stravinsky to international fame. It led directly to later collaborations with Diaghilev, including Petrushka and The Rite of Spring. Stravinsky also turned the score into concert suites, and the 1919 suite is still the most performed.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.