The idea for a ballet based on Daphnis and Chloe (an ancient Greek love story attributed to Longus) originated with the Russian choreographer Michel Fokine. He first proposed the subject to the Director of the Russian Imperial Theaters, but it was not until Fokine became involved with Sergei Diaghilev’s groundbreaking Ballets russes in Paris that … Continued
Above: One of Nicholas Roerich’s original set designs for The Rite of Spring. After the failed revolution of 1905, a cloud of apocalyptic doom seemed to hover over the Russian Empire. With freedom of speech severely curtailed, many artists turned to increasingly subjective, mysterious sources of inspiration. Some, like the composer Alexander Scriabin, were captivated … Continued
In 1909, the Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev was running out of time. After a grand duke who had been a key backer of his ventures dropped dead and his widow refused to give him any more money, Diaghilev had been forced to abandon his plans to present Russian opera in Paris in the spring of … Continued
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