Originally composed as a concertante for piano and orchestra, Stravinsky later cobbled it into the wonderful ballet Petrushka to satisfy a commission from Paris' Ballet Russe, the great impresario Diaghilev, in particular. After the grand success of his first ballet, The Firebird, the public wanted more from the young Stravinsky. Petrushka was also very successful and laid the groundwork for The Rite of Spring, an altogether different proposition.