The remaining movements of Steel, "In Prison," "At the Ball," and "On the Square" have been lost, and Iron Foundry is performed today as a standalone orchestral episode.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, romantic music—though not banned—fell from prominence as it was a remnant of the deposed ruling class, and experimental and revolutionary ideas flourished.
Stal was never staged; instead Iron Foundry was presented as the first movement of an orchestral suite from the ballet, premiered in Moscow on December 4, 1927, in a concert by the Association for Contemporary Music commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Russian Revolution.
[3][4] Mosolov's composition was performed at the eighth International Society for Contemporary Music festival in Liège on September 6, 1930, where it was critically acclaimed.
"[10] Mosolov uses a live orchestra to create a factory-like sound, unlike Antheil's Ballet mécanique, which uses mechanical elements to reach its musical goals.
By measure twenty-seven, the overlapping instruments create a deliberate and machine-like sound above which the horns are directed to stand and play the main theme of the piece.