Podcast appearances and mentions of Sergei Diaghilev

fWotD Episode 2703: Igor Stravinsky Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Saturday, 28 September 2024 is Igor Stravinsky.Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (17 June [O. S. 5 June] 1882 – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century and a pivotal figure in modernist music.Born to a famous bass in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Stravinsky grew up taking piano and music theory lessons. While studying law at the University of Saint Petersburg, he met Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and studied music under him until the latter's death in 1908. Stravinsky met the impresario Sergei Diaghilev soon after, who commissioned the composer to write three ballets for the Ballets Russes's Paris seasons: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913), the last of which caused a near-riot at the premiere due to its avant-garde nature and later changed the way composers understood rhythmic structure.Stravinsky's compositional career is often divided into three main periods: his Russian period (1913–1920), his neoclassical period (1920–1951), and his serial period (1954–1968). During his Russian period, Stravinsky was heavily influenced by Russian styles and folklore. Works such as Renard (1916) and Les noces (1923) drew upon Russian folk poetry, while compositions like L'Histoire du soldat (1918) integrated these folk elements with popular musical forms, including the tango, waltz, ragtime, and chorale. His neoclassical period exhibited themes and techniques from the classical period, like the use of the sonata form in his Octet (1923) and use of Greek mythological themes in works including Apollon musagète (1927), Oedipus rex (1927), and Persephone (1935). In his serial period, Stravinsky turned towards compositional techniques from the Second Viennese School like Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique. In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (1954) was the first of his compositions to be fully based on the technique, and Canticum Sacrum (1956) was his first to be based on a tone row. Stravinsky's last major work was the Requiem Canticles (1966), which was performed at his funeral.While many supporters were confused by Stravinsky's constant stylistic changes, later writers recognized his versatile language as important in the development of modernist music. Stravinsky's revolutionary ideas influenced composers as diverse as Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, Béla Bartók, and Pierre Boulez, who were all challenged to innovate music in areas beyond tonality, especially rhythm and form. In 1998, Time magazine listed Stravinsky as one of the 100 most influential people of the century. Stravinsky died of pulmonary edema on 6 April 1971 in New York City, having left six memoirs written with his friend and assistant Robert Craft, as well as an earlier autobiography and a series of lectures.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:51 UTC on Saturday, 28 September 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Igor Stravinsky on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Amy.

DescriptionHow did Stravinsky's “The Rite of Spring” come to be? Take a minute to get the scoop!Fun Fact"The Rite of Spring," composed by Igor Stravinsky, had its notorious premiere on May 29, 1913, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. The ballet was choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky and produced by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. The premiere caused a sensation, with its avant-garde music and controversial choreography leading to a riot among the audience. Despite the initial uproar, "The Rite of Spring" has since become recognized as one of the most influential and groundbreaking works of the 20th century.__________________________________________________________________About Steven, HostSteven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.__________________________________________________________________You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram.

fWotD Episode 2441: The Firebird Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.The featured article for Wednesday, 10 January 2024 is The Firebird.The Firebird (French: L'Oiseau de feu; Russian: Жар-птица, romanized: Zhar-ptitsa) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Michel Fokine, who collaborated with Alexandre Benois and others on a scenario based on the Russian fairy tales of the Firebird and the blessing and curse it possesses for its owner. The Firebird was first performed at the Opéra de Paris on 25 June 1910 and was an immediate success, catapulting Stravinsky to international fame and leading to future Diaghilev-Stravinsky collaborations like Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913).The Firebird's mortal and supernatural elements are distinguished with a system of leitmotifs placed in the harmony dubbed "leit-harmony". Stravinsky made a point to use many unique effects in the orchestra, including with ponticello, col legno, flautando, glissando, and fluttertongue. Set in the evil immortal Koschei's castle, the ballet follows Prince Ivan, who battles Koschei with the help of the magical Firebird.Stravinsky later created three concert suites: in 1911, ending with the "Infernal Dance"; in 1919, which remains the most popular today; and in 1945, featuring significant reorchestration and structural changes. Other choreographers have staged the work with Fokine's original choreography or created entirely new productions using the music, some with different settings or themes from the original. Many recordings of the suites have been made, the first being released in 1928 using the 1911 suite. A film version of the popular Sadler's Wells Ballet production, which revived Fokine's original choreography, was created in 1959.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:15 UTC on Wednesday, 10 January 2024.For the full current version of the article, see The Firebird on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm Justin Neural.

Sandy Burnett takes a snapshot look at the world of Russian art critic Sergei Diaghilev and composer Igor Stravinsky.

DescriptionDaphnis et Chloé by Maurice Ravel is considered by many to be a true masterpiece.  Take a minute to get the scoop! Fun FactDiaghilev had originally intended Daphnis et Chloé to form the centrepiece of the 1910 season, and although the first piano draft was ready by the beginning of May, this was already far too late, leaving the door wide open for Igor Stravinsky to score his first great success with The Firebird. This seems to have inspired Ravel to get a move on and by the end of the summer he was hard at work on the orchestration.__________________________________________________________________About Steven, HostSteven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.__________________________________________________________________You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram.

Young Indiana Jones is a spy in 1917 Barcelona, a neutral WW1 city. With a group of fellow spies Indy devises a scheme to create geopolitical love affair scandal in order to sway Spain to the allies. Pablo Picasso's art and Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets adds to this wacky mix between art, love and war. We travel to 1920's Chicago where a new found love for Jazz intertwines with a murder mystery and ruthless Gangsters like Al Capone

If you listened to my show last week about Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird, you know that Stravinsky's life was never the same after the premiere of the ballet in 1910. Sergei Diaghilev, the founder of the Ballets Russes and Stravinsky's greatest collaborator, said just before the premiere, “this man is on the eve of celebrity.” Diaghilev was absolutely right, as The Firebird made Stravinsky a Parisian household name practically overnight. Of course, immediately everyone wanted to know what was next. Stravinsky did too, and he was thinking that he needed to stretch himself even more, as even though the Firebird had caused a sensation, he still felt that it was too indebted to his teachers of the past like Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov and other Russian greats like Borodin or Mussorgsky. At first, Stravinsky dreamed of a pagan Rite, but quickly he changed course, wanting to write something that was NOT ballet music, and in fact would be a concerto for Piano and Orchestra. But instead of just a straight ahead abstract piece, Stravinsky had yet another story in mind. This time it was this: “In composing the music, I had in mind a distinct picture of a puppet, suddenly endowed with life, exasperating the patience of the orchestra with diabolical cascades of arpeggios. The orchestra in turn retaliates with menacing trumpet blasts. The outcome is a terrific noise which reaches its climax and ends in the sorrowful and querulous collapse of the poor puppet.” Diaghilev visited Stravinsky in Lausanne Switzerland expecting to hear more about the pagan rituals Stravinsky had been so excited about, but instead Stravinsky played him this strange piano concerto. But Digahliev, ever the visionary, saw the potential in this story and in this music for dance as well, and convinced Stravinsky to turn the piano concerto into a ballet, and Petrushka was born. Within a few months, Petrushka was written, performed, and was yet another sensation. Today, we'll talk all about the brilliant music that Stravinsky composed for the ballet, the integration of choreography and music, and the radical changes that this music heralded for the western music world.

In 1906, the impresario Sergei Diaghilev created a sensation in Paris with an exhibition of Russian Art. This was the first time a major showing of Russian art had appeared in Paris, and from this point forward, the city was obsessed with Russian art, literature, and music.  Diaghilev, ever the promoter, then put together the Ballets Russes, the Russian Ballet, in 1909, a company based in Paris that performed ballets composed, choreographed, and danced, by Russians.  Over the next 20 years, the Ballets Russes became one the most influential and successful ballet companies of the entire 20th century, and a young composer that Diaghilev plucked from obscurity named Igor Stravinsky had a lot to do with their success.    The first season of the Ballet Russes relied on the big names of Russian music, like Borodin, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky Korsakov, but Diaghilev was always restlessly searching for something new.  For many years, Diaghilev had wanted to bring not only new Russian art, but also new Russian music to the West, and now he had found the perfect combination -  Diaghilev brought together the Russian artist and writer Alexandre Benoit and the Russian choreographer Michel Fokine to create a Russian nationalistic ballet based on Russian folk tales and mythology.  He then took a risk, giving the commission for the music to Igor Stravinsky.  The result?  The Firebird, a ballet that provoked an ecstatic reaction, a score that would propel Stravinsky to worldwide popularity, 3 different orchestral suites played almost every year by orchestras all over the world, and a 19 year collaboration and friendship between Stravinsky and Diaghilev which only ended in Diaghilev's death and resulted in 8 original ballets, including The Rite of Spring and Petrushka. But, let's not get too ahead of ourselves.  All of this had to start somewhere, so lets explore the Firebird, in all of its different versions and orchestrations, along with the folk tales and stories that go along with it. Join us!

Synopsis In 1916, Imperial Russia was still using the old Julian calendar.  In Russia, as Hamlet might have put it, “time was out of joint,” lagging 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used everywhere else. Well, Saint Petersburg's January 16th  might have Paris's January 29th, but on that date Russia's Mariinsky Theatre premiered a wild, decidedly forward-looking orchestral work with its composer, Sergei Prokofiev, conducting.The music had been commissioned in 1914 by another Russian, the Paris-based ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, who had asked Prokofiev for “a ballet on a Russian fairy tale or a primitive prehistoric theme,” hoping for something along the lines of Igor Stravinsky's colorful Firebird or scandalous Rite of Spring, both earlier Diaghilev commissions. Thinking of those two successful ballets perhaps, Prokofiev set to work on one set in ancient Russia about a forest princess rescued from an evil ogre by a Scythian prince, with a big orgy of evil spirits tossed in as well just to spice things up.  But Diaghilev nixed the ballet even before Prokofiev had finished it, so its composer reworked the music into a wild concert hall score he titled Scythian Suite. Even today it remains – for some – a strongly spiced cup of Russian tea! Music Played in Today's Program Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953) — Scythian Suite, Op. 20 (Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Claudio Abbado, conductor.) DG 447 419

Det skulle bli middagarnas middag med modernismens främsta namn samlade vid samma bord. Men att bjuda genier på mat är ingen picknick. Annina Rabe berättar mer. ESSÄ: Detta är en text där skribenten reflekterar över ett ämne eller ett verk. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna. Ursprungligen publicerad 2022-05-18.Det är den 18 maj 1922 och vi befinner oss på Majestic hotel i Paris. Personalen är i full gång med att iordningställa ett chambre separée till en privat tillställning för ett femtiotal gäster. Kanske ligger det i luften att det kommer att bli en alla-var-där-bjudning, en sådan som det fortfarande kommer att talas om hundra år senare. En middag som samlar och definierar den nya modernistiska eran. Där ska spjutspetsarna inom konst, litteratur, scenkonst och musik blandas upp med en grädda av förmögna, inflytelserika, adliga eller rentav kungliga gäster.Här finns Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, Virginia Woolfs svåger konstkritikern Clive Bell liksom alla dansare från den ryska baletten i Paris. De sistnämnda har premiär för föreställningen Le Renard, baserad på ett verk av Stravinsky, och den officiella anledningen till sammankomsten är att fira balettkompaniet och dess ledare Sergei Diaghilev, som förstås också är där. Men kvällens värdar, det socialt och kulturellt ambitiösa mecenatparet Sydney och Violet Schiff, har en baktanke.Varje viktig epok har en tidpunkt när den står på den absoluta toppen. När den balanserar på gränsen mellan avantgarde och det etablerade, men fortfarande känns som om den bryter ny mark. I maj 1922 provocerade inte modernismen lika mycket som den gjort några år tidigare, men fortfarande hade några av dess mest betydande verk inte sett dagens ljus. Det här var ett viktigt år, inte minst för den litterära modernismen. I februari 1922 publicerades James Joyces 900-sidor långa Ulysses, en bok som skulle skriva om litteraturhistorien. TS Eliots Det öde landet utkom samma år, liksom Virgina Woolfs Jacobs room och fjärde delen av Marcel Prousts På spaning efter den tid som flytt.Värden Sidney Schiff, som själv är en medelmåttig romanförfattare, är besatt av Proust på gränsen till stalkning. Och kvällens verkliga hedersgäster är inte den ryska baletten, utan Proust och Joyce. Två författare som representerar diametralt olika sidor av modernismen, två personligheter lika disparata som deras verk. Det skulle bli de två modernistiska portalfigurernas första och enda möte.Middagen på the Majestic måste ha planerats med en rusig känsla av att befinna sig här och nu, mitt i en tid när något håller på att förändras för alltid. Sättet att se, gestalta, skriva och leva.Den utsökta menyn var utformad helt till de illustra gästernas ära. Rysk kaviar och ryska horsdeuvres för att ära den Ryska baletten. Därefter kunde man välja på en sjötunga Walewska eller lammnoisetter med haricots verts. Men paret Schiff var så ivriga över att Proust skulle hedra dem med sin närvaro att hela resten av menyn var utformad efter honom och maträtter som förekommer i På spaning efter den tid som flytt. Här fanns förstås sparris i överflöd -vilken tur att sparrisen råkade vara i säsong just vid tiden för denna middag! Där fanns lammstek med bearnaise och köttaladåb med kalvfötter. Det serverades kyckling financiére, med en sås på madeira garnerad med kycklinglever, tryffel och gröna oliver. För den Proustian som var mer fisk- och skaldjurssinnad bjöds hummer lamericaine, det vill säga med tomat, konjak, vitt vin och grädde, eller slätvar i vin- och smörsås. För den som därefter till äventyrs hade något utrymme kvar för dessert bjöds flera överdådiga alternativ i Prousts anda: Kastanjepudding serverad med vaniljglass och körsbär, mandelkaka, glass gjord på pistage och kaffe, jordgubbsmousse och tryfflar. Genomgående dracks champagne.Hur såg Proust på denna hyllning? Vad tyckte Joyce. Inspirerade den överdådiga middagen och ruset från champagnen dem till avgörande och oförglömliga samtal?Inte riktigt. Faktum är att ingen av hedersgästerna tog del av den kulinariska mångfalden. Klockan var långt över midnatt och tallrikarna undanröjda när den första av dem dök upp. En sjavigt klädd man, kraftigt berusad, kom in och damp ner på den ena tomma stolen bredvid värden. Enligt konstkritikern Clive Bell satt han bara stum med huvudet i händerna. Ganska snart började han snarka högljutt. Det var James Joyce. Proust dök upp vid tre på natten, en spröd figur insvept i en stor päls. Enligt Clive Bell var det något råttliknande över den eleganta uppenbarelsen. Vid den här tiden av sitt liv lämnade Proust ytterst sällan sitt sovrum; svårt försvagad av hälsoproblem och drogmissbruk slet han för att slutföra sitt livsverk.Det som skulle bli århundradets fest har istället gått till historien som den obekvämaste middagen i middagsbjudningarnas historia. Exakt vad som hände kan vi inte veta, vittnesmålen skiljer sig åt i historikern Richard Davenport-Hines underhållande bok A night at the Majestic citeras inte mindre än sex olika versioner men alla är överens om att det var ett misslyckande, stämningen var stel och nervös. James Joyce själv berättade för sin vän målaren Frank Budgen att hela konversationen hade bestått av ett enda ord som upprepades i olika sammanhang: Nej. Proust frågade om Joyce kände prinsessan så-och-så, Joyce svarade nej. Värdinnan frågade Proust om han hade läst Ulysses och Proust svarade nej. Joyce svarade i sin tur nej på frågan om han möjligen hade läst På spaning efter den tid som flytt.Det finns anledning att misstänka att ingen av dem talade sanning.Kanske kunde modernismens många uttryck inte låta sig inordnas under ett och samma tak. Men det kan å andra sidan helt enkelt rört sig om en ganska typisk mingelsituation som kan uppstå när ett antal inflytelserika människor i kulturvärlden möts. En gnagande och paranoid konkurrenskänsla, ett ständigt sneglande över axeln, en malande inre oro över den egna statusen i förhållande till andras. Lägg därtill det skamlösa fjäskande som nästan alltid uppstår när vanliga dödliga ska umgås med upphöjda genier.Exakt sex månader efter den här misslyckade kvällen avled Marcel Proust. Modernismen fortsatte att blomstra i flera år till och hade inte det här historiska och ack så intetsägande mötet mellan några av tidens största konstnärer ägt rum hade den här middagsbjudningen fallit i glömska, i det stora tysta arkivet av bortglömda kulturfester. Nu är den en anekdot, ett trivialt snedsteg i 1900-talets främsta estetiska rörelse. Som en påminnare om att även i de största intellektuella djupen finns en ytlig och helt mänsklig faktor.På tal om det, så lättade stämningen enligt flera källor upp något när de båda författarna delade en taxi hem och började prata krämpor. Joyce klagade över sin återkommande huvudvärk och sina ögon, medan Proust klagade över sitt magont. Det enda vi vet säkerhet är att det inte var matens fel.Annina Rabe, litteraturkritikerLitteraturRichard Davenport-Hines bok: A night at the majestic. Faber & Faber, 2007.BildenBilden är ett montage/illustration baserad på tre målningar:Jacques-Émile Blanches porträtt av James Joyce: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_James_Joyce_P529.jpgEn avbildning av Marcel Proust-skulpturen på Château de Breteuil (av ManoSolo1324132): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcel_Proust_statue_au_ch%C3%A2teau_de_Breteuil.jpgJohn Singer Sargents "A dinner-table at night": https://www.wikiart.org/en/john-singer-sargent/a-dinner-table-at-night-1884

DescriptionIgor Stravinsky was a huge proponent of Neoclassicism in music—much to the shock and dismay of some listeners and critics. Take a minute to get the scoop!Listen to: Igor Stravinsky - Octet for Wind Instruments [With score] ℅ YouTubeFun FactA pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov in his native St. Petersburg, Stravinsky had inherited the style of the Russian nationalist group, the so-called kuchka or Mighty Handful, and the ballets he wrote for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes before and during the First World War – The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring, and Les Noces – are post-kuchka works, based on folk tales or rituals, using folk music or poetry, and largely ignoring the orthodox procedures of traditional classical music.About Steven, HostSteven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.__________________________________________________________________You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram.

Synopsis It was on today's date in 1913 that Igor Stravinsky's ballet “The Rite of Spring” premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, provoking catcalls and fisticuffs from some in the audience. Most scholars suggest it was the ungainly, deliberately primitive choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky, more than Stravinsky's score, that provoked the most negative response. Pierre Monteux's concert performance—without the dancing—at the Casino de Paris the following Spring marked the start of the score's success as pure music. On that occasion, Stravinsky was carried in triumph from the hall on the shoulders of his admirers. Shortly before his death in 1929, Sergei Diaghilev, who had commissioned Stravinsky's score, was enthusiastically quoting a review in the London Times that suggested (perhaps ironically) that the “Rite of Spring” would be for the 20th century what Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was for the 19th. Well, that has rather turned out to be the case, in fact, and by 2013, a piece of orchestral music that in 1913 was considered almost unplayable is routinely programmed as a classic orchestral showpiece. One New York Times critic even wrote “… now everybody knows “The Rite.” [It's] an audition piece that every music student practices, so that now any conservatory orchestra can give a fleet and spiffy performance of what used to stump their elders, and professional orchestras can play it in their sleep, and often do…” Music Played in Today's Program Igor Stravinsky — The Rite of Spring (Cleveland Orchestra; Pierre Boulez, cond.) DG 435 769 On This Day Births 1860 - Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz, in Camprodón; 1873 - Estonian composer Rudolf Tobias, in Kaina on Haiiumaa Island; 1897 - Austrian composer Eric Wolfgang Korngold, in Brno; 1922 - Greek composer Iannis Xenakis, in Braila, Roumania; 1948 - English composer Michael Berkley, in London; He is the son of English composer, Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903-89); Deaths 1910 - Russian composer Mily Balakirev, age 73, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: May 16); 1911 - British lyricist Sir William S. Gilbert (of "Gilbert & Sullivan" fame), age 74, from a heart attack after rescuing a drowning woman, at Harrow Weald, England; 1935 - Czech composer Josef Suk, age 61, in Benesov; 1951 - Czech composer Josef Bohuslav Foerster, age 91, in Vestec, near Stará Boleslav; Premieres 1901 - Paderewski: "Manru," in Dresden; Also staged at the Metropolitan Opera in 1902; 1905 - Scriabin: Symphony No. 3 ("'Divine Poem"), in Paris, Arthur Nikisch conducting; 1913 - Stravinsky: "Le Sacre du printemps" (The Rite of Spring), in Paris, by Diaghilev's Ballet Russe, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1954 - Cowell: Symphony No. 11 ("Seven Rituals"), by the Louisville Orchestra, Robert S. Whitney conducting; 1970 - Rautavaara: Piano Concerto, in Helsinki, with composer as soloist, and the Finnish Radio Symphony, Paavo Berglund conducting; Others 1873 - American premiere of Brahms's Serenade No. 1 in D, at Steinway Hall, by the New York Symphony, Theodore Thomas conducting; 1963 - The New York Philharmonic "Promenade" concert series is inaugurated. Links and Resources On Igor Stravinsky More on "The Rite of Spring" Video of recreated original 1913 choreography for "The Rite of Spring"

Det skulle bli middagarnas middag med modernismens främsta namn samlade vid samma bord. Men att bjuda genier på mat är ingen picknick. Annina Rabe berättar mer. ESSÄ: Detta är en text där skribenten reflekterar över ett ämne eller ett verk. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna.Det är den 18 maj 1922 och vi befinner oss på Majestic hotel i Paris. Personalen är i full gång med att iordningställa ett chambre separée till en privat tillställning för ett femtiotal gäster. Kanske ligger det i luften att det kommer att bli en alla-var-där-bjudning, en sådan som det fortfarande kommer att talas om hundra år senare. En middag som samlar och definierar den nya modernistiska eran. Där ska spjutspetsarna inom konst, litteratur, scenkonst och musik blandas upp med en grädda av förmögna, inflytelserika, adliga eller rentav kungliga gäster.Här finns Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, Virginia Woolfs svåger konstkritikern Clive Bell liksom alla dansare från den ryska baletten i Paris. De sistnämnda har premiär för föreställningen Le Renard, baserad på ett verk av Stravinsky, och den officiella anledningen till sammankomsten är att fira balettkompaniet och dess ledare Sergei Diaghilev, som förstås också är där. Men kvällens värdar, det socialt och kulturellt ambitiösa mecenatparet Sydney och Violet Schiff, har en baktanke.Varje viktig epok har en tidpunkt när den står på den absoluta toppen. När den balanserar på gränsen mellan avantgarde och det etablerade, men fortfarande känns som om den bryter ny mark. I maj 1922 provocerade inte modernismen lika mycket som den gjort några år tidigare, men fortfarande hade några av dess mest betydande verk inte sett dagens ljus. Det här var ett viktigt år, inte minst för den litterära modernismen. I februari 1922 publicerades James Joyces 900-sidor långa Ulysses, en bok som skulle skriva om litteraturhistorien. TS Eliots Det öde landet utkom samma år, liksom Virgina Woolfs Jacobs room och fjärde delen av Marcel Prousts På spaning efter den tid som flytt.Värden Sidney Schiff, som själv är en medelmåttig romanförfattare, är besatt av Proust på gränsen till stalkning. Och kvällens verkliga hedersgäster är inte den ryska baletten, utan Proust och Joyce. Två författare som representerar diametralt olika sidor av modernismen, två personligheter lika disparata som deras verk. Det skulle bli de två modernistiska portalfigurernas första och enda möte.Middagen på the Majestic måste ha planerats med en rusig känsla av att befinna sig här och nu, mitt i en tid när något håller på att förändras för alltid. Sättet att se, gestalta, skriva och leva.Den utsökta menyn var utformad helt till de illustra gästernas ära. Rysk kaviar och ryska horsdeuvres för att ära den Ryska baletten. Därefter kunde man välja på en sjötunga Walewska eller lammnoisetter med haricots verts. Men paret Schiff var så ivriga över att Proust skulle hedra dem med sin närvaro att hela resten av menyn var utformad efter honom och maträtter som förekommer i På spaning efter den tid som flytt. Här fanns förstås sparris i överflöd -vilken tur att sparrisen råkade vara i säsong just vid tiden för denna middag! Där fanns lammstek med bearnaise och köttaladåb med kalvfötter. Det serverades kyckling financiére, med en sås på madeira garnerad med kycklinglever, tryffel och gröna oliver. För den Proustian som var mer fisk- och skaldjurssinnad bjöds hummer lamericaine, det vill säga med tomat, konjak, vitt vin och grädde, eller slätvar i vin- och smörsås. För den som därefter till äventyrs hade något utrymme kvar för dessert bjöds flera överdådiga alternativ i Prousts anda: Kastanjepudding serverad med vaniljglass och körsbär, mandelkaka, glass gjord på pistage och kaffe, jordgubbsmousse och tryfflar. Genomgående dracks champagne.Hur såg Proust på denna hyllning? Vad tyckte Joyce. Inspirerade den överdådiga middagen och ruset från champagnen dem till avgörande och oförglömliga samtal?Inte riktigt. Faktum är att ingen av hedersgästerna tog del av den kulinariska mångfalden. Klockan var långt över midnatt och tallrikarna undanröjda när den första av dem dök upp. En sjavigt klädd man, kraftigt berusad, kom in och damp ner på den ena tomma stolen bredvid värden. Enligt konstkritikern Clive Bell satt han bara stum med huvudet i händerna. Ganska snart började han snarka högljutt. Det var James Joyce. Proust dök upp vid tre på natten, en spröd figur insvept i en stor päls. Enligt Clive Bell var det något råttliknande över den eleganta uppenbarelsen. Vid den här tiden av sitt liv lämnade Proust ytterst sällan sitt sovrum; svårt försvagad av hälsoproblem och drogmissbruk slet han för att slutföra sitt livsverk.Det som skulle bli århundradets fest har istället gått till historien som den obekvämaste middagen i middagsbjudningarnas historia. Exakt vad som hände kan vi inte veta, vittnesmålen skiljer sig åt i historikern Richard Davenport-Hines underhållande bok A night at the Majestic citeras inte mindre än sex olika versioner men alla är överens om att det var ett misslyckande, stämningen var stel och nervös. James Joyce själv berättade för sin vän målaren Frank Budgen att hela konversationen hade bestått av ett enda ord som upprepades i olika sammanhang: Nej. Proust frågade om Joyce kände prinsessan så-och-så, Joyce svarade nej. Värdinnan frågade Proust om han hade läst Ulysses och Proust svarade nej. Joyce svarade i sin tur nej på frågan om han möjligen hade läst På spaning efter den tid som flytt.Det finns anledning att misstänka att ingen av dem talade sanning.Kanske kunde modernismens många uttryck inte låta sig inordnas under ett och samma tak. Men det kan å andra sidan helt enkelt rört sig om en ganska typisk mingelsituation som kan uppstå när ett antal inflytelserika människor i kulturvärlden möts. En gnagande och paranoid konkurrenskänsla, ett ständigt sneglande över axeln, en malande inre oro över den egna statusen i förhållande till andras. Lägg därtill det skamlösa fjäskande som nästan alltid uppstår när vanliga dödliga ska umgås med upphöjda genier.Exakt sex månader efter den här misslyckade kvällen avled Marcel Proust. Modernismen fortsatte att blomstra i flera år till och hade inte det här historiska och ack så intetsägande mötet mellan några av tidens största konstnärer ägt rum hade den här middagsbjudningen fallit i glömska, i det stora tysta arkivet av bortglömda kulturfester. Nu är den en anekdot, ett trivialt snedsteg i 1900-talets främsta estetiska rörelse. Som en påminnare om att även i de största intellektuella djupen finns en ytlig och helt mänsklig faktor.På tal om det, så lättade stämningen enligt flera källor upp något när de båda författarna delade en taxi hem och började prata krämpor. Joyce klagade över sin återkommande huvudvärk och sina ögon, medan Proust klagade över sitt magont. Det enda vi vet säkerhet är att det inte var matens fel.Annina Rabe, litteraturkritikerLitteraturRichard Davenport-Hines bok: A night at the majestic. Faber & Faber, 2007.BildenBilden är ett montage/illustration baserad på tre målningar:Jacques-Émile Blanches porträtt av James Joyce: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_James_Joyce_P529.jpgEn avbildning av Marcel Proust-skulpturen på Château de Breteuil (av ManoSolo1324132): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcel_Proust_statue_au_ch%C3%A2teau_de_Breteuil.jpgJohn Singer Sargents "A dinner-table at night": https://www.wikiart.org/en/john-singer-sargent/a-dinner-table-at-night-1884

Una noche verdaderamente rara, ocurrida en París el 29 de mayo de 1913 y que cambiaría la historia de la música. Igor Stravinski estrenaba lo que para muchos era una barbarie calculada: “La consagración de la primavera”, una revolución musical puesta en escena entre ninfas semidesnudas y escenas de erotismo explícito de los ballets rusos que dirigía Sergei Diaghilev. En el teatro de los Campos Elíseos estaban Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Coco Chanel, Victoria Ocampo, Vaslav Nijinski, Camille Saint Säens, Claude Debussy, Alejo Carpentier… Y muchos hicieron la crónica del escándalo que suscitó aquel rito pagano que los más conservadores consideraron un atentado a la belleza del arte. Stravinski, confuso e indignado, saldría por la puerta trasera sin intuír que había cambiado la historia. No te pierdas esta crónica emocionante narrada por la investigadora Luz Marina Monroy Flórez, docente de historia de la Música de la Facultad de Artes en la Universidad de Antioquia y coordinadora de "Amar y comprender la ópera", en la Universidad Eafit.

Synopsis We tend to think of the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak as a 19th century composer – but he lived a few years into the 20th and one of his major works, his opera “Rusalka,” had its premiere in Prague on today's date in 1901. We also think of Dvorak as primarily a composer of symphonies and chamber works, but forget that in his final years, Dvorak devoted himself chiefly to opera – and for reasons that might surprise us today. In a 1904 interview, given just two months before his death, Dvorak said:  “Over the past five years I have written nothing but operas. I wanted to devote all my powers, as long as the dear Lord gives me health, to the creation of opera … because I consider opera to be the most suitable medium for the Czech nation and the widest audience, whereas if I compose a symphony I might have to wait years before it is performed.” Dvorak was gratified that his opera “Rusalka” was a big success at its 1901 premiere and would subsequently become one of his most popular works with Czech audiences, but ironically, outside Czech-speaking lands, most of his other operas, unlike his symphonies, are rarely performed. Music Played in Today's Program Antonin Dvořák (1841–1904) — O Silver Moon, fr Rusalka (Renée Fleming, soprano; London Symphony; Sir Georg Solti, cond.) London 455 760 On This Day Births 1732 - Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn, in Rohrau; 1872 - Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, in Gruzino, Novgorod district (Julian date: Mar. 19); Deaths 1880 - Polish composer and violinist Henryk Wieniawski, age 44, in Moscow; 1901 - British composer Sir John Stainer, age 60, in Verona, Italy; Premieres 1723 - Handel: Concerto in F (HWV 331) (Julian date: March 20); 1739 - Handel: Organ Concerto in A (HWV 296a) (Julian date: March 20); 1745 - Rameau: opera-ballet, "Platée," at Versailles; 1784 - Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 16 in D, K. 451, in Vienna, with composer as soloist; 1794 - Haydn: Symphony No. 100 ("Military"), conducted by the composer on his 62nd birthday, at the Hanover-Square Concert Rooms in London; 1841 - R. Schumann: Symphony No. 1 ("Spring"), by Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Felix Mendelssohn conducting; 1901 - Dvorák: opera "Rusalka," in Prague at the National Theater; 1913 - Webern: "Six Pieces" for orchestra, in Vienna; 1932 - Chávez: ballet "Horsepower," in Philadelphia; 1947 - Ulysses Kay: "Short Overture," in New York City; 1949 - William Grant Still: opera "Troubled Island," in New York City; 1951 - R. Strauss: "Munich Waltz," posthumously in Vienna; This music was originally written for the 1939 film; 1961 - Françaix: "L'Horloge de Flore," by oboist John de Lancie, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 2001 - Peter Lieberson: Piano Quintet, at Carnegie Hall, by pianist Peter Serkin with the Orion String Quartet; Others 1837 - Franz Liszt and Sigismond Thalberg, the two reigning virtuosi of their day, perform a sort of pianistic "duel" at a benefit concert in aid of Italian refuguees at the Parisian salon of Princess Cristina Belgiojso-Trivulzio. Links and Resources On Antonin Dvořák Video of Renee Fleming singing "Song to the Moon," from "Rusalka"

Building a Library: Jeremy Sams recommends his favourite recording of Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe (complete ballet). Maurice Ravel described his ballet, Daphnis and Chloe as a choreographic symphony. The story concerns the love between the goatherd Daphnis and the shepherdess Chloé. Ravel began work in 1909 after a commission from Sergei Diaghilev and it was premiered in Paris by his Ballets Russes in 1912. The orchestra was conducted by Pierre Monteux, the choreography was by Michel Fokine, and Vaslav Nijinsky and Tamara Karsavina danced the parts of Daphnis and Chloé. With rich harmonies and lush orchestrations it is one of Ravel's most popular works.

Synopsis When we think of Russian music in Paris, the name Sergei Diaghilev comes first to mind. In the early years of the 20th century, that famous Russian impresario saw to it that not only the new music of Stravinsky was performed in the French capital, but also a historical panorama of earlier Russian works, including Mussorgsky's opera, “Boris Godunov.” But even before Diaghilev, Russian music figured prominently at the famous Universal Expositions held in Paris in the latter 19th century. On today's date in 1878, for example, Tchaikovsky's Valse-Scherzo for violin and orchestra received its premiere at an Exposition concert conducted by the composer's compatriot Nicolai Rubinstein. In addition to this brand-new work, Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto and symphonic fantasia “The Tempest” were also performed. Tchaikovsky was back home in Russia, curious to know how his works fared in Paris. He wrote to a friend: “Have you been to any of the Russian concerts in Paris? According to some newspapers my compositions were a great success, to others a failure. I cannot get at the truth.”  Fortunately, when Rubinstein returned to Russia, he was able to report first-hand that Tchaikovsky's music had, indeed, been very well received. Music Played in Today's Program Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) — The Firebird (1919 revision) (Minnesota Orchestra; Eiji Oue, cond.) Reference 70 Peter Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893) — Valse-Scherzo (Gil Shaham, violin; Russian National Orchestra; Mikhail Pletnev, cond.) DG 457 064

Photo: In 1921, Keynes wrote that he had fallen "very much in love" with Lydia Lopokova, a well-known Russian ballerina and one of the stars of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.In 1921, Keynes wrote that he had fallen "very much in love" with Lydia Lopokova, a well-known Russian ballerina and one of the stars of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.[160] In the early years of his courtship, he maintained an affair with a younger man, Sebastian Sprott, in tandem with Lopokova, but eventually chose Lopokova exclusively. They were married in 1925, with Keynes's former lover Duncan Grant as best man."What a marriage of beauty and brains, the fair Lopokova and John Maynard Keynes" was said at the time. Keynes later commented to Strachey that beauty and intelligence were rarely found in the same person, and that only in Duncan Grant had he found the combination. The union was happy, with biographer Peter Clarke writing that the marriage gave Keynes "a new focus, a new emotional stability and a sheer delight of which he never wearied".  The couple hoped to have children but this did not happen.CBS Eye on the World with John BatchelorCBS Audio Network@BatchelorshowKeynes 2021: "Both history and Keynesian-influenced economic theory teach that . . ." @VerodeRugy @Marcatushttps://www.mercatus.org/publications/government-spending/keynesian-stimulus-virtuous-semicircle

Jean Cocteau's visionary rendition of Madame de Beaumont's fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast," itself the retelling of a story that may be several millennia old, is the topic of this Weird Studies episode, which proposes a journey down lunar paths to the crossroads where love and death intersect. Drawing on Surrealism, myth, and the occult, Cocteau's 1946 film transcends the limitations of media to become a living poem, a thing that is also a place, a place that is also a mind. This conversation touches on the genius of the child, the mysteries of Eros, the monstrosity of consciousness, and the sorcery of cinema. Photo by Ivan Jevtic on Unsplash REFERENCES Jean Cocteau (dir.), La Belle et la Bête (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038348/) Jaques Maritain, Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9781944418762) Sergei Diaghilev (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Diaghilev), Russian impresario Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise (dir.), Beauty and the Beast (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101414/) David Thomson, Have You Seen? (https://bookshop.org/books/have-you-seen-a-personal-introduction-to-1-000-films/9780375711343) Bram Stoker, Dracula (https://bookshop.org/a/18799/9780141439846) Johannes Vermeer (http://www.essentialvermeer.com/), Dutch painter Philip Glass, [La Belle et la Bête](https://philipglass.com/compositions/belleetlabete/)_ (opera) Game of Thrones (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/), Television series Weird Studies, Episode 84 on the Empress Card (https://www.weirdstudies.com/84) Weird Studies, Episode 94 on the Moon Card (https://www.weirdstudies.com/94)

Today is the 149th birthday of the ballet dancer and founder of Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev. To be able to see those performances in the 1920s Paris with collaborations between Debussy, Matisse, Miró, Picasso and Stravinsky. The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/waldina/message

From fiery flamenco to a dance by Manuel de Falla to a new piece for piano to Antonio Vivaldi to some Blackpool jazz rock...

Seizoen 4. Muziekverhalen . Alle afleveringen van Dik Trom, staan onder seizoen 4. Zodat je snel kunt vinden, waar je gebleven bent. En makkelijk kunt kiezen voor een sprookje of ander verhaaltje. Vandaag Muziekverhaal , deel 2. De vuurvogel. Phoenix verrijst uit de as. De vuurvogel is een Egyptische mythe en Stravinsky schreef er muziek op. Speciaal voor het ballet de Vuurvogel bij het Ballet Russe van Sergei Diaghilev? Mijn kleinkinderen (4-10 jaar)  vinden het leuk om naar mijn verhalen te luisteren voor het slapengaan. Als hobby lees ik deze verhalen voor. Voor het slapen gaan. Spannende of leuke verhalen. Ik raad ze altijd aan om met hun ogen dicht onder de dekens te luisteren. Want als je je ogen dicht hebt kun je er van alles bij verzinnen. De ouders adviseer ik kleine bleutooth speaker, die kan je makkelijk in bed leggen. Of gewoon je telefoon naast het kussen. Ik hoop dat jullie het leuk vinden en geef me wat commentaar want dan maken we het samen beter en nuttiger. Met muziek verhalen wil ik kinderen graag kennis laten maken met klassieke muziek. Want hoe klein ook, ze kunnen daar zo van genieten.  

La Boutique fantasque, also known as The Magic Toyshop or The Fantastic Toyshop, is a ballet in one act conceived by Léonide Massine, who devised the choreography for a libretto written with the artist André Derain, a pioneer of Fauvism. Derain also designed the décor and costumes for the ballet. Ottorino Respighi wrote the music based on piano pieces by Gioachino Rossini. Its world premiere was at the Alhambra Theatre in London on 5 June 1919, performed by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. La pentola magica, a glowing tribute to lesser-known Russian composers. Purchase the music (without talk) at: http://www.classicalsavings.com/store/p1287/Respighi%3A_La_boutique_fantasque%2FLa_pentola_magica.html Your purchase helps to support our show! Classical Music Discoveries is sponsored by La Musica International Chamber Music Festival and Uber. @khedgecock #ClassicalMusicDiscoveries #KeepClassicalMusicAlive #LaMusicaFestival #CMDGrandOperaCompanyofVenice #CMDParisPhilharmonicinOrléans #CMDGermanOperaCompanyofBerlin #CMDGrandOperaCompanyofBarcelonaSpain #ClassicalMusicLivesOn #Uber Please consider supporting our show, thank you! http://www.classicalsavings.com/donate.html staff@classicalmusicdiscoveries.com

Renowned Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov joins me for this episode of Harmonious World.His latest album - Silver Age - is a brilliant collection of works by Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Scriabin. In our conversation, Daniil gave a real insight into why these pieces form the basis of Russia's Silver Age and the importance of Sergei Diaghilev, as founder of the Ballets Russes.To find out more about Daniil, click here.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HWpodcast)

(00:44) - Introduction (02:21) - Repertoire for Composer-Choreographer Collaboration (03:47) - Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Julius Reisinger, Marius Petipa, and Lev Ivanov (10:38) - Igor Stravinsky with Sergei Diaghilev and Vaclav Nijinsky (17:15) - Aaron Copland with Martha Graham (25:06) - Practices for Collaboration (30:21) - Conclusions Please consider supporting this podcast at: patreon.com/jacobthiede. You will receive unique and spontaneous perks for as little at $1 per month. Get access to the written transcript here: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1703288/ Listen to more of our work at: jacobthiede.com Listen on Spotify at: spotify.com/jacobthiede

In 1919, the impresario Sergei Diaghilev came up with the idea of having Stravinsky write a ballet inspired by 18th century music by composers like Pergolesi. The result, Pulcinella, began a transformation of Stravinsky’s music. Stravinsky would later say: “Pulcinella was my discovery of the past, the epiphany through which the whole of my late work became possible." Today we'll talk through Pulcinella - a brilliant and funny piece that shows Stravinsky in a totally new light. Get ready for a fun ride!

Igor Stravinsky is considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century, in no small part indebted to his three groundbreaking ballets - The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. These pieces were made possible by Russian artistic visionary Sergei Diaghilev, and his ballet company known as the Ballet Russes. Hear leading arts commentator Lee Christofis, ANAM guest artist Eduardo Strausser and ANAM musician Eve McEwen discuss Russian folklore, a dance revolution, and Stravinsky with the Ballet Russes; a partnership which changed classical music forever. Featuring: Eduardo Strausser, ANAM guest artist Eve McEwen, ANAM musician Lee Christofis, arts commentator Written, edited and produced by Madi Chwasta

Donald Macleod surveys the life and music of Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky. In this week’s episode, Donald explores the composer who is said, in his music, to have ushered in the 20th century: Igor Stravinsky. His name is probably still most associated with the utterly extraordinary, revolutionary evening that prompted that accolade – the premiere of The Rite of Spring in Paris on the 29th of May 1913. We’ll hear about his pivotal relationships with fellow musician Rimsky-Korsakov, his assistant Robert Craft and the impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Plus, Donald delves into some of the most formative periods in Stravinsky’s life: his creative move towards neo-classicism, the death of his wife, his lonely exile to the USA, and his experiments with serialist methods. Music featured: Rite of Spring Scherzo in G minor Pastorale Four Etudes, Op 7, Nos 3 and 4 Symphony in E flat major (1st and 2nd movements) Faun and Shepherdess Scherzo Fantastique Fireworks The Firebird Suite Three Movements from Petrushka Pulcinella (Overture) Mavra: Russian Song (arr for cello & piano) Octet (2nd movement) Symphony of Psalms Concerto in E flat major 'Dumbarton Oaks' Tango Ebony Concerto (1st and 2nd movements) Scherzo a la Russe Symphony in Three Movements Rake's Progress: Act I Scene 3 (excerpt) Mass (Kyrie, Gloria) In Memoriam Dylan Thomas Movements for Piano and Orchestra Agon: Act IV The dove descending breaks the air Canticum Sacrum Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Martin Williams for BBC Wales For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Igor Stravinsky https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004y0p And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

The Russian dance impresario Sergei Diaghilev transformed not only ballet, but all the arts in the 20th century. His ground-breaking Ballets Russes burst onto the scene in Paris in 1909 and replaced stuffy set pieces with shockingly vibrant performances that brought together scenery by artists Picasso and Matisse, costumes by Coco Chanel, avant-garde music by Stravinsky and Prokofiev, and a new style of movement from innovative dancers such as Nijinsky. The Ballet Russes became the world's leading dance company for nearly quarter of a century, and its creative impulse still influences dance, music and art today. Bridget Kendall explores Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes with Lynn Garafola, Professor of Dance at Barnard College, Columbia University in the US; Jane Pritchard, Curator of Dance at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; and the French dance writer Laura Cappelle. Photo: Portrait Of Sergei Dyagilev (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Tune in to learn about Sergei Diaghilev, the openly gay Russian man who founded one of the dance world's most influential ballet companies at the turn of the 20th century.  Content Warnings: Discussion of AIDS and death during the roundtable segment Music: “So Far So Good” by Jonathan Coulton Research Lead: Adrian

Works for solo piano by Falla and Albeniz performed by Alessio Bax, piano on May 17, 2015. Work for string quartet and guitar by Boccherini performed by Jason Vieaux, guitar with Escher String Quartet: Adam Barnett-Hart, violin, Aaron Boyd, violin, Pierre Lapointe, viola, and Dane Johansen cello on May 17, 2015. Falla: Danza del molinera from El sombrero de tres picos for Piano Albeniz: Tango from Espana: Seis Hojas de Album for Piano, Op. 165 (arr. Godowsky) Boccherini: Quintet No. 4 in D Major for Guitar, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, G. 448 It’s time to get out of your chair: this podcast is all about la danza, the dance.The inspiration came from the final piece on the podcast: Boccherini’s Quintet for guitar and string quartet, G. 448, subtitled “Fandango.” The first two movements of the piece are relatively unassuming: a delicate Pastoral, followed by an Allegro that foregrounds the guitar a bit more. But in the final movements, the pace accelerates, the music gets livelier.To get us in the mood to tango, we’ve got a few openers, both featuring pianist Alessio Bax. First, the Dance of the Miller, by Manuel de Falla. After an attention-grabbing introduction, we get a spirited dance, which is no surprise, since the piece is actually a reworking of a ballet that Falla originally wrote for the great Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes. Next is Tango, from the six-movement collection Espana by Isaac Albeniz. Tango is the second piece in the original grouping, and Albeniz’s most famous melody. It’s been reworked for many instruments over the years. It is a charming, slightly seductive tune, immediate in its appeal.We conclude with the Boccherini quintet.

Shabbily treated at its première by Sergei Diaghilev, who commissioned the work for his dance company Ballets Russes, Daphnis et Chloé went on to be hailed by ensuing generations as Ravel’s masterpiece; by Ravel himself as “a vast musical fresco”; and by general opinion as the epitome of impressionism in music. Raymond Bisha delves into this peaceful musical story of pastoral simplicity, beautifully interpreted in Ravel’s passionate music, lush harmonies and subtle orchestration.

Dance critic Mark Monahan goes on a whistle-stop tour through the first 100 years of the ballet as we know it today, looking at the ground-breaking works that took cities such as Paris and St Petersburg by storm. He traces the history of ballets such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake which were - surprisingly - both resounding flops when Tchaikovsky premiered them, only being rescued later by the dance-maker Marius Petipa. And he looks at the enormous influence of Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, beginning with Mikhail Fokine's 1907 ballet Chopiniana, leading to famous scores by Stravinsky and Ravel. Image of Mark Monahan courtesy of David Rose.

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. Pulcinella is a ballet by Igor Stravinsky based on an 18th-century play—Pulcinella is a character originating from Commedia dell'arte. The ballet premiered at the Paris Opera on 15 May 1920 under the baton of Ernest Ansermet. The dancer Léonide Massine created both the libretto and choreography, and Pablo Picasso designed the original costumes and sets. It was commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev. - Wikipedia

Sergei Diaghilev's most enduring influence on twentieth century art was the Ballets Russes, a modern ballet company he created, starring the greatest male ballet dancer of the twentieth century and Diaghilev's lover, Vaslav Nijinsky.

On this day in 1915, the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev — then in his mid-20s — made his foreign debut. The concert was in Rome, and Prokofiev performed his Second Piano Concerto.  On today's "A Classical Day in the Life", we explore the influence that the man behind the concert, Sergei Diaghilev, had on Prokofiev.

On the 29th of May 1912, exactly a year earlier than the premiere of The Rite of Spring, Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes had scandalized Parisian audiences with the first performance of another famous ballet choreographed by Nijinsky – L’Après-midi d’un Faune. This ballet represents a precursor for The Rite of Spring not only for this chronological correspondence, success, notoriety, and choreography by Nijinsky: both works also drew some inspiration from a rather distant prehistoric past, as shown by the sets and costumes created by Léon Bakst and Nicholas Roerich (for Faune and Rite, respectively). This paper discusses Bakst’s use of prehistoric materials for the Faune and previous Ballets Russes productions, and how this related to his ideas about a modern art of the future.

For a few nights in March 1914 if contemplating buying a theatre ticket in London, there was a brief chance when one could have seen Nijinsky dance at the Palace Theatre one night and the next the new Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Savoy Theatre. Had one had the rare chance to view the 1913 London performance of the Sacre and then the Savoy Dream eight months later, one might well have been struck by the mutuality of Harley Granville Barker’s and Sergei Diaghilev’s strategies as much as their distinctness. The ethos and practices of these two productions striving to achieve a ‘total work of art’ resonate and contrast with each other in the principles of collaboration in the two companies: the deployment of intensified simplification in performance to achieve the ‘gesamtkunstwerk’; the use of colour and supra-temporal effects to create stage decoration rather than pictorialism; the destabilization of gender and the imagining of the primitive was at the heart of both scenarios. This paper will recuperate the creative collaboration at the centre of the Savoy Dream, examining the neglected surviving design sketches of Norman Wilkinson as well as the interpretative contribution of Barker’s wife, Lilah McCarthy, to explore the continuities and ruptures between these rites of spring and midsummer.