Russian ballet seasons. "summer ballet seasons" on the ramt stage

"Russian Seasons" by Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev

“And what are you, dear, doing here? - King Alfonso of Spain once asked Sergei Diaghilev during a meeting with the famous entrepreneur of the Russian Seasons. – You don't conduct an orchestra and you don't play a musical instrument, you don't paint scenery and you don't dance. So what are you doing?" To which he replied: “We are similar to you, Your Majesty! I don't work. I do nothing. But you can't do without me."

The "Russian Seasons" organized by Diaghilev were not just propaganda of Russian art in Europe, they became an integral part of European culture at the beginning of the 20th century. and invaluable contribution to the development of ballet art.

history "Russian Seasons" Diaghilev and many interesting facts read on our page.

Prehistory of "Russian Seasons"

The combination of a legal education and an interest in music developed in Sergei Diaghilev brilliant organizational skills and the ability to discern talent even in a novice performer, supplemented, in modern terms, with a managerial vein.

Diaghilev's close acquaintance with the theater began with the editing of the Yearbook of the Imperial Theaters in 1899, when he served at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. Thanks to the assistance of the artists of the World of Art group, to which S. Diaghilev, an official for special assignments, belonged, he turned the publication from a meager statistical code into a real art magazine.

When, after a year of work as the editor of the Yearbook, Diaghilev was instructed to organize L. Delibes' ballet "Sylvia, or the Nymph of Diana", there was a scandal because of the modernist scenery, which did not fit into the conservative atmosphere of the theater of that time. Diaghilev was fired and he returned to painting, organizing exhibitions of paintings by European artists and "World of Art" in Russia. The logical continuation of this activity was in 1906 a landmark art exhibition at the Paris Autumn Salon. From this event, the history of the Seasons began ...

Ups and downs…

Inspired by the success of the Salon d'Automne, Diaghilev did not want to stop and, having decided to establish tours of Russian artists in Paris, he first gave preference to music. So, in 1907, Sergei Pavlovich organized the "Historical Russian Concerts", the program of which included 5 symphonic concerts of Russian classics, held at the Paris Grand Opera, reserved for the "Seasons". The high bass of Chaliapin, the choir of the Bolshoi Theatre, the conducting skills of Nikish and the delightful piano playing of Hoffmann captivated the Parisian public. In addition, a carefully selected repertoire, which includes excerpts from "Ruslan and Lyudmila" Glinka, "Christmas Nights" "Sadko" And "Snow Maiden" Rimsky-Korsakov, Enchantress » Tchaikovsky, « Khovanshchina "And" Boris Godunov "by Mussorgsky, made a splash.

In the spring of 1908, Diaghilev again goes to win the hearts of the Parisians: this time with an opera. However "Boris Godunov" gathered far from a full hall and the proceeds barely covered the expenses of the troupe. Something needed to be done urgently.

Knowing what the public of that time liked, Diaghilev compromised his own principles. He despised ballet, considering it to be primitive entertainment for the same primitive minds, but in 1909, the entrepreneur, sensitive to the mood of the public, brought 5 ballets: Armida's Pavilion, Cleopatra, Polovtsian Dances, sylph ” and “Pir”. The amazing success of the productions performed by the promising choreographer M. Fokin confirmed the correctness of Diaghilev's choice. The best ballet dancers from Moscow and St. Petersburg - V. Nizhinsky, A. Pavlova, I. Rubinstein, M. Kshesinskaya, T. Karsavina and others - formed the core of the ballet troupe. Although a year later Pavlova leaves the troupe due to disagreements with the impresario, "Russian Seasons" will become in her life that springboard, after which the ballerina's fame will only grow. The poster by V. Serov, made for the tour in 1909 and containing the image of Pavlova, frozen in a graceful pose, became a prophecy of glory for the artist.

It was the ballet that brought the “Russian Seasons” great fame, and it was the Diaghilev troupe that influenced the history of the development of this art form in all countries where they had to perform on tour. Since 1911, the "Russian Seasons" contained exclusively ballet numbers, the troupe began to perform in a relatively stable composition and was called the "Russian Ballet of Diaghilev". Now they perform not only at the Paris Seasons, but also go on tour to Monaco (Monte Carlo), England (London), USA, Austria (Vienna), Germany (Berlin, Budapest), Italy (Venice, Rome).

In Diaghilev's ballets, from the very beginning, there was a desire to synthesize music, singing, dance and fine art into one whole, subject to a common concept. It was this feature that was revolutionary for that time, and it was precisely thanks to this feature that the performances of the Russian Ballet of Diaghilev caused either storms of applause or flurries of criticism. Being in search of new forms, experimenting with plastique, scenery, musical accompaniment, Diaghilev's entreprise was significantly ahead of its time.

As proof of this, we can cite the fact that the premiere held in Paris (Theater on the Champs-Elysées) in 1913 "The Rite of Spring" - a ballet based on Russian pagan rites , - was drowned out by the whistles and screams of an indignant audience, and in 1929 in London (The Covent Garden Theatre) her production was crowned with enthusiastic exclamations and furious applause.

The ongoing experiments gave rise to such peculiar performances as “Games” (fantasy on the theme of tennis), “Blue God” (fantasy on the theme of Indian motifs), an 8-minute ballet “Office of the Faun”, called the public the most obscene phenomenon in the theater due to the frankly erotic plasticity of the corphyory, the “choreographic symphony” “Daphnis and Chloe” to the music of M. Ravel.

Diaghilev - reformer and modernist of ballet art

When the Diaghilev troupe entered the ballet, there was a complete rigidity in academic conservatism. The great impresario had to destroy the existing canons, and this, of course, was much easier to do on the European stage than in Russia. Diaghilev did not directly participate in productions, but he was the organizing force, thanks to which his troupe achieved world recognition.

Diaghilev intuitively understood that the main thing in ballet is a talented choreographer. He knew how to see an organizational gift even in a novice choreographer, as was the case with M. Fokin, and he knew how to bring up the qualities necessary to work with his troupe, as happened with 19-year-old V. Myasin. He also invited Serge Lifar to his team, first as a performer, and later made him a new star in the galaxy of ballet masters of the Russian Ballet troupe.

The productions of "Russian Seasons" were under the powerful influence of the work of modernist artists. Sets and costumes were created by A. Benois, N. Roerich, B. Anisfeld, L. Bakst, S. Sudeikin, M. Dobuzhinsky, artists of the World of Arts association gravitating towards symbolism, as well as avant-garde artists N. Goncharova, M. Larionov, Spanish muralist H.-M. Sert, Italian futurist D. Balla, cubists P. Picasso, H. Gris and J. Braque, French impressionist A. Matisse, neoclassicist L. Survage. Such famous personalities as C. Chanel, A. Laurent and others were also involved as decorators and costume designers in Diaghilev's productions. As you know, the form always affects the content, which was observed by the audience of the Russian Seasons. Not only the scenery, costumes and curtains amazed with their artistic expressiveness, outrageousness, play of lines: the entire production of this or that ballet was permeated with modernist trends, plastic gradually displaced the plot from the viewer's attention.

Diaghilev used the most diverse music for the productions of the Russian Ballet: from world classics F. Chopin , R. Schuman, K. Weber , D. Scarlatti, R. Strauss and Russian classics N. Rimsky-Korsakov , A. Glazunov, M. Mussorgsky, P. Tchaikovsky , M. Glinka to the Impressionists C. Debussy and M. Ravel, as well as contemporary Russian composers I. Stravinsky and N. Cherepnin.

European ballet, which experienced a crisis of its development at the beginning of the 20th century, was endowed with the young talents of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, refreshed by its new performance techniques, new plastique, an unsurpassed synthesis of various types of art, from which something completely different from the usual classical ballet was born.

Interesting Facts

• Although the "Historical Russian Concerts" are considered among the "Russian Seasons", only the poster of 1908 contained this name for the first time. There were 20 more such seasons ahead, but the 1908 tour was the last attempt by the entrepreneur to do without ballet.
• To stage "Afternoon of a Faun" lasting only 8 minutes, Nijinsky needed 90 rehearsals.
• An avid collector, Diaghilev dreamed of getting hold of A. Pushkin's unpublished letters to Natalia Goncharova. When they were finally handed over to him in June 1929, the entrepreneur was late for the train - a tour in Venice was coming. Diaghilev put the letters in the safe to read them after arriving home ... but he was no longer destined to return from Venice. The land of Italy received the great impresario forever.
• During the performance of the solo part in the ballet "Orientalia" in 1910, V. Nijinsky made his famous jump, which glorified him as a "flying dancer".
• Before each performance of the ballet The Phantom of the Rose, the costume designer re-sewed rose petals to Nijinsky's costume, because after the next performance he tore them off and gave them away to the dancer's numerous admirers.

Films about S. Diaghilev and his activities

• In the film The Red Shoes (1948), Diaghilev's personality received an artistic rethinking in the character under the name Lermontov. In the role of Diaghilev - A. Walbrook.
• In the feature films "Nijinsky" (1980) and "Anna Pavlova" (1983), Diaghilev's personality is also given attention. In his role - A. Bates and V. Larionov, respectively.

• Documentary film by A. Vasiliev “The fate of the ascetic. Sergei Diaghilev” (2002) tells about the founder of the magazine “World of Arts” and the entrepreneur of “Russian Seasons”.
• A very interesting and exciting film “Geniuses and villains of the outgoing era. Sergei Diaghilev” (2007) talks about little-known facts related to Diaghilev and his production activities.
• In 2008, the series "Ballet and Power" was devoted to the films of Vaslav Nijinsky and Sergei Diaghilev, however, their ambiguous relationship and the talent of the young dancer became the object of attention of many films that deserve a separate review.
• The film "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky" (2009) touches upon the relationship between the entrepreneur and the composer who wrote the music for many of his performances.
• The documentary "Paris of Sergei Diaghilev" (2010) is the most fundamental film work about the life and work of a talented entrepreneur.
• The first of the films in the "Historical Journeys of Ivan Tolstoy" series is dedicated to Sergei Diaghilev - "A Precious Bunch of Letters" (2011).
• Sergei Diaghilev is also dedicated to one program from the cycle “The Chosen Ones. Russia. Century XX" (2012).
• The documentary film "Ballet in the USSR" (2013) (Series of programs "Made in the USSR") partially touches on the theme of "Russian Seasons".
• The TV release “Absolute Rumor” dated February 13, 2013 tells about Diaghilev and the art of the 20th century, and from January 14, 2015 - about the first productions of the ballet “Afternoon of a Faun”.
• Two films were released as part of the Terpsichore Mysteries program series - Sergei Diaghilev - a man of art (2014) and Sergei Diaghilev - from painting to ballet (2015).

It can rightfully be considered the ancestor of the domestic show business. He managed to play on the outrageous performances of his troupe and purposefully saturate performances with various modernist techniques at all levels of composition: scenery, costumes, music, plasticity - everything bore the imprint of the most fashionable trends of the era. In Russian ballet of the early 20th century, as in other areas of art of that time, dynamics were clearly visible from the active search of the Silver Age for new means of expression to hysterical intonations and broken lines of avant-garde art. " Russian seasons” raised European art to a qualitatively new level of development and to this day they do not cease to inspire creative bohemians in search of new ideas.

Video: Watch a film about Diaghilev's Russian Seasons

theater ballet degilev

Classical Russian ballet has transformed the world ballet art. He was famous for many decades and is still famous today. But at the beginning of the 20th century, the star of the new Russian choreography flared up, laying down its traditions - and these traditions not only live on to this day, but have become the harbinger of a new world art. Russian ballet of the early 20th century is a completely unexpected word in the art of ballet, and ballet culture seems to have been waiting for it for a long time.

Until now, the world ballet is nourished by the discoveries and innovations of the Russian troupe, which performed in Europe in the 1910s and 1920s, develops and transforms the traditions laid down by it. By a strange fate, the new Russian ballet was born and gained world fame outside of Russia, but it was created by Russian artists, Russian choreographers, artists, composers. It was no coincidence that the troupe was called the Russian Ballet of Sergei Diaghilev. Diaghilev's ballet seasons not only presented the world with a new Russian ballet, but also most fully revealed the talents of many Russian artists, here they came to world fame.

It all started in 1907, when Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev opened a Russian entreprise called "Russian Seasons" in Paris. Europe already knew Diaghilev's name. An extraordinarily energetic entrepreneur, also known in Russia as a serious connoisseur of world culture, author of works on the history of Russian painting, one of the organizers of the artistic association "World of Art", editor of the magazines "World of Art" and "Annual of the Imperial Theaters", organizer of art exhibitions, a theater figure, a person close both to ballet circles and to the circle of artists, composers, Diaghilev by that time managed to organize in Europe more than one exhibition of works by Russian artists, representatives of that new Russian art, which later called the art of the Silver Age, the art of the modern era.

Diaghilev began his “Russian Seasons” in Paris with “Historical Concerts”, in which S. V. Rakhmanov, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. K. Glazunov, F. I. Chaliapin, the choir of the Maritime Bolshoi Theater took part. The following year, Diaghilev brought Russian opera to Paris, introducing the European audience to the masterpieces of productions of works by M. P. Mussorsky, A. P. Borodin, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov (Fyodor Chaliapin sang the main parts). In the 1909 season, ballet appeared in Diaghilev's entreprise. Ballet performances were interspersed with opera performances. He brought to Europe the color of Russian theatrical culture - dancers V.F. Nizhinsky, A.P. Pavlova, T.P. Karsavina, choreographer M.M. Fokin, invites artists A.N. Benois, L.S. Bakst, N.K. Roerich, A. Ya. Golovin.

The success of the ballet productions was so resounding that the following year Diaghilev abandoned the opera and brought only ballet to Paris. It can be said that since 1910 he has become exclusively a "ballet entrepreneur". Diaghilev devotes the rest of his life to ballet.

Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev has long had a passion for ballet theatre. In 1899-1901. he directed the production of L. Delibes' Silvia at the Mariinsky Theatre. Diaghilev tried to update the scenography of the ballet, but met resistance from the theater management and was fired "for undermining academic traditions." As we can see, Diaghilev's desire to find new ways in ballet appeared long before his Parisian "seasons".

In 1910, Diaghilev brought to Paris Fokine's ballets staged by this choreographer on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater - Scheherazade by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, Cleopard by A. S. Arensky, Pavilion of Armida by N. N. Tcherepnin, Giselle by A. Adam. Polovtsian dances from the opera "Prince Igor" by A. P. Borodin were also presented. Preparation of the season began in St. Petersburg. Here, the outstanding talent of Diaghilev the entrepreneur appeared in full measure. First of all, the St. Petersburg productions were edited in the direction of complicating the choreography. With the help of M. F. Kshesinskaya, a member of the troupe close to the court, Diaghilev managed to get a solid subsidy for this season (the emperor Nicholas 2 was among the “sponsors”). Diaghilev managed to find patrons among French patrons as well.

He gathered an entrepreneurial troupe from young people, primarily from supporters of Fokine's choreography - these were Pavlova, Karsavina, Bolm, Nijinsky. From Moscow he invited Koralli, Geltser, Mordkin. The French were shocked by the Russian ballet - both by the originality of the choreography, and the performing brilliance, and the painting of the scenery, and spectacular costumes. Each performance was a spectacle of amazing beauty and perfection. Nijinsky, Pavlova, Karsavina became a discovery for Europe.

Diaghilev's seasons were called "Russian Seasons Abroad" and were held annually until 1913. The 1910 season was the first season, and in 1911 Diaghilev decided to create a separate ballet troupe, called the Diaghilev Russian Ballet. Fokin became the chief choreographer in it. Here the legendary performances "Vision of the Rose" to the music of K. M. Weber, "Narcissus" by N. N. Cherepnin, "Daphnis and Chloe" by M. Ravel, "Tamara" to the music of M. A. Balakirev were staged.

The main event of the first seasons was the ballet Petrushka staged in 1911 by Fokine to the music of I. F. Stravinsky (the artist was A. N. Benois), where Nijinsky played the main role. This party has become one of the pinnacles in the artist's work.

Since 1912, the Diaghilev troupe began touring the world - London, Rome, Berlin, the cities of America. These tours contributed not only to strengthening the glory of the new Russian ballet, but also to the revival of ballet in a number of European countries, and subsequently to the emergence of ballet theaters in countries that did not yet have their own ballet, for example, in the same United States, in some countries of Latin America.

The Diaghilev troupe was destined to open one of the most remarkable pages in the history of the ballet theater, and thanks to his work in it, Diaghilev was rightfully called later “the creator of a new artistic culture” (the words belong to the dancer and choreographer Sergei Lifar). The troupe existed until 1929, that is, until the death of its creator. Fame always accompanied her, the productions of the Diaghilev troupe were striking in their high artistic level, outstanding talents shone in them, which Diaghilev knew how to find and nurtured.

The activity of the troupe is divided into two periods - from 1911 to 1917. and from 1917 to 1929. The first period is associated with the activities of Fokine, the dancers Nizhinsky, Karsavina, Pavlova, as well as with the work of the artists of the "World of Art" - Benois, Dobuzhinsky, Bekst, Sudeikin, Golovin, with Russian classical composers N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. K. Lyadov, M. A. Balakirev, P. I. Tchaikovsky to the people with modern Russian composers N. N. Cherepni nym, I.F. Stravinsky, K. Debusse.

The second period is associated with the names of choreographers L. F. Myasin, J. Balanchine, dancers Sergei Lifar, Alicia Markova, Anton Dolin, European artists P. Picasso, A. Beauchamp, M. Utrillo, A. Matisse and Russian avant-garde artists - M. F. Larionov, N. S. Goncharova, G. B. Yakulov, contemporary Russian and foreign composers - Stravinsky, Prokofiev , F. Poulenc, E. Satie.

In 1917, Diaghilev invited the famous Ernesto Cecchetti, an admirer and connoisseur of Russian classical ballet, as a teacher-repetiteur: Diaghilev never declared a break with the great traditions of Russian ballet, even in his most “modernist” productions, he still remained within their framework

Rarely has any entreprise troupe been kept at the peak of success for three or three seasons in a row. The Diaghilev troupe held the level of world fame for 20 years. The director of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, S. L. Grigoriev, wrote: “It is difficult to conquer Paris. Maintaining influence for 20 seasons is a feat." Over the years of the troupe's existence, more than 20 ballets have been staged in it.

It is impossible not to take into account that after 1917 the European ballet theater entered a state of crisis. The classical school chewed itself up, new ideas and names appeared few. It was at such a moment of crisis that Diaghilev's brilliant team gave the world samples of high art, endowed world ballet with new ideas, and suggested new ways of its development.

In this post, I would like to talk directly about the "Russian Seasons of Diaghilev" themselves and their influence on world art, especially on the ballet art of the 20th century.

So, what were the Seasons - these are the tour performances of Russian opera and ballet dancers abroad. It all started in Paris in 1908, then in 1912 it continued in Great Britain (in London), and from 1915 in other countries.

Speaking quite accurately, the beginning of the "Russian Seasons" was laid back in 1906 year, when Diaghilev brought an exhibition of Russian artists to Paris. It was an incredible success, so it was decided to expand the horizons and already in 1907 A series of concerts of Russian music (“Historical Russian Concerts”) took place at the Grand Opera. Actually "Russian Seasons" began in 1908 in Paris, when Modest Mussorgsky's opera "Boris Godunov", the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by Mikhail Glinka, "Prince Igor" by Alexander Borodin and others were performed here. Paris for the first time heard the singing of Chaliapin and the music of Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff and Glazunov. From this moment begins the history of the famous "Russian Seasons" by Diaghilev, which instantly made everything Russian the most fashionable and relevant in the world.

Fyodor Chaliapin in the opera "Prince Igor"

IN 1909 the first joint opera and ballet performances took place in Paris. In subsequent years, he began to export mainly ballet, which was a huge success. From this moment begins the period of ballet seasons. Nevertheless, the opera was still: in 1913 the opera "Khovanshchina" was staged (Chaliapin performed the part of Dosifey), in 1914 The Grand Opera hosted the world premiere of Stravinsky's The Nightingale.

The fantastic success of the first seasons, which included the ballets The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, made the European public understand that advanced Russian art is a full and interesting part of the world artistic process.

Vaslav Nijinsky in the ballet "Petrushka"

Vaslav Nijinsky in the ballet "Scheherazade", 1910

Ballet premiere program "Scheherazade"

The success of the "Russian Season" in Paris 1909 year was truly triumphant. There comes a fashion for everything Russian. Performances on the stage of the Chatelet theater not only became an event in the intellectual life of Paris, but also had a powerful influence on Western culture in its most diverse manifestations. The French appreciated the novelty of theatrical and decorative painting and choreography, but the highest praise was given to the performance skills of the leading dancers of the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters: Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Lyudmila Shollar, Vera Fokina, Vaslav Nizhinsky, Mikhail Fokine, Adolf Bolm, Mikhail Mordkini and Grigory Rozay.

Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky in the ballet The Pavilion of Armida, 1909

Anna Pavlova

The French writer Jean Cocteau said of the performances:"The red curtain rises over the feasts that upended France and which carried the crowd in ecstasy after the chariot of Dionysus".

IN 1910 In the year Diaghilev invited Igor Stravinsky to write music for a ballet to be staged as part of the Russian Seasons, and the next three years became perhaps the most "stellar" period in the life of both the first and second. During this time, Stravinsky wrote three great ballets, each of which turned Diaghilev's Russian Seasons into a global cultural sensation - The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1911-1913).

An interesting fact about the ballet "The Firebird": The Firebird is the first ballet on a Russian theme in Sergei Diaghilev's entreprise. Director (choreographer) and performer of the main male part - Mikhail Fokin. Realizing that Paris needed to be "treated" with something primordially Russian, he announced this name in the poster of the first season in 1909. But the ballet did not have time to stage. The cunning impresario engaged in a rigging - although the poster said "The Firebird", the pas de deux of Princess Florine and the Blue Bird from the ballet "Sleeping Beauty", unknown to the Parisians, was performed on stage, moreover, in the new oriental costumes of Leon Bakst. Only a year later, the real "Firebird" appeared in Paris - the first ballet score by Igor Stravinsky, which glorified the name of the then novice composer outside of Russia.

Costume design for the ballet "The Firebird" by the artistLeon Bakst,1910

Mikhail Fokin Suit Blue birds, ballet "Sleeping Beauty"

In the same 1910, the already staged ballets Giselle and Carnival to the music of Schumann, and then Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, entered the repertoire. Anna Pavlova was supposed to perform the main roles in the ballets Giselle and The Firebird, but for a number of reasons her relationship with Diaghilev deteriorated, and she left the troupe. Pavlova was replaced by Tamara Karsavina.

Tamara Karsavina and Mikhail Fokin in ballet "Firebird"

Tamara Karsavina

Dancers. Ballet by Igor Stravinsky "Sacred spring" on the Champs Elysees. May 29, 1913

Playbill for the play "Russian Seasons", sketch by Leon Bakst with Vatslav Nezhinsky

And again, a resounding success with the Parisian public! However, this success had a downside: some of the artists who became famous thanks to the Diaghilev seasons left the troupe for foreign theaters. And after Nijinsky was dismissed from the Mariinsky Theater with a scandal, Diaghilev decided to recruit a permanent troupe. Many dancers of the Imperial Ballet agreed to enter into permanent contracts with him, and those who decided to stay at the Mariinsky - for example, Karsavina and Kshesinskaya - agreed to continue cooperation. The city in which Diaghilev's company was based, where rehearsals and preparations for future productions took place, was Monte Carlo.

Interesting fact:Monte Carlo occupied a special place in the heart of Diaghilev. It is here in 1911 "Russian Ballet" was transformed by him into a permanent theater troupe, here he first showed a number of his most significant productions, and here he has invariably spent his winters since 1922. Thanks to the generosity of the ruling house of Grimaldi and the fame of the Casino, which made such generosity possible, Mote Carlo became the creative laboratory of Diaghilev in the 1920s. Former ballerinas of the Imperial Theaters, who had already left Russia forever, shared the secrets of mastery with the rising stars of emigration invited by Diaghilev. In Monte Carlo, he gave in for the last time to the temptation of the dream of his life - to live, giving his all to art.

IN 1911 5 new ballets were staged: The Underwater Kingdom (from the opera Sadko), Narcissus, Peri, The Phantom of the Rose, which is an exquisite pas de deux Karsavina and Nijinsky, and the main novelty of the season - the dramatic ballet "Petrushka" by Stravinsky, where the leading role of the fair jester, who dies in the finale, belonged to Nijinsky.

Vaslav Nijinsky as Petrushka

"Sadko", scenery sketch by Boris Anisfeld, 1911

But already in 1912 Diaghilev began to gradually free himself from his Russian like-minded people, who brought him world fame. The charismatic leader Diaghilev did not tolerate confrontation. A person is important for him as a carrier of a creative idea: having exhausted the idea, Diaghilev ceases to be interested in him. Having exhausted the ideas of Fokine and Benois, he began to generate ideas from European creators, to discover new choreographers and dancers. The quarrels in the Diaghilev team also affected the productions: unfortunately, the 1912 season did not cause much enthusiasm among the Parisian audience.

All the ballets of this season were staged by Mikhail Fokin, except for one - The Afternoon of a Faun, at the suggestion of Diaghilev, staged by his favorite Nijinsky - this performance was the debut in his short career as a choreographer.

ballet "Afternoon of a Faun"

After the failure in Paris, Diaghilev showed his productions (plus ballets from the early repertoire) in London, Berlin, Vienna and Budapest, where the public received them more favorably. Then there were tours in South America and again a resounding success! It was during these tours that a conflict occurred between Diaghilev and Nijinsky, after which Sergei Pavlovich refused the services of a dancer, but for some time they continued to work together, but then there was a final break.

In the years World War I the Diaghilev ballet troupe went on tour in the United States, since at that time interest in art in Europe was subsiding. Only charity concerts remained, in which they nevertheless took part.

Servants of the Swan Princess in the ballet "Russian Tales", 1916

Sketches of scenery by Natalia Goncharova for one of Diaghilev's most outstanding productions - Les Noces, 1917

A full-fledged return of the Diaghilev seasons to their former positions began in 1917 year. Returning to Europe, Diaghilev formed a new troupe. As a choreographer in the troupe, a young dancer of the corps de6let of the Bolshoi Theater, Leonid Myasin, took a firm place. The performances he staged were filled with an innovative spirit and were well received in Paris and Rome.

In the same year, Diaghilev invited Pablo Picasso to design the ballet "Parade", a few years later the same Picasso made scenery and costumes for the ballet "Cornered Hat". A new, last period of the Russian ballet seasons begins, when French artists and composers begin to prevail in Diaghilev's team.

The ballet "Parade", staged in 1917 by Leonid Myasin to the sarcastic music of Eric Satie and in the cubist design of Picasso, marked a new trend of the Diaghilev troupe - the desire to demythologize all ballet components: plot, scene, actor's masks ("Parade" depicted the life of a traveling circus) and put another phenomenon in the place of myth - fashion. Parisian everyday fashion, pan-European stylistic fashion (in particular, cubism), global fashion for free (to a greater or lesser extent) dance.

Olga Khokhlova, Picasso, Maria Shabelskaya and Jean Cocteau in Paris on the occasion of the premiere of the ballet "Parade", May 18, 1917

Sketch by Pablo Picasso for the ballet "Parade", 1917

Set and costume design for the ballet The Three-Cornered Hat, Pablo Picasso, 1919

Lyubov Chernyshova as Cleopatra, 1918

The aggravated political situation in Europe made it impossible to visit France, so the Paris season in 1918 there was no year, but there were tours in Portugal, South America, and then almost a whole year in the UK. The years 1918-1919 became difficult for Diaghilev: the inability to stage ballets in Paris, a creative crisis, the departure of one of the leading dancers, Felix Fernandez, from the troupe due to illness (he went crazy). But at the end 1919 seasons in Paris were resumed. The scenery in one of this year's ballets, Stravinsky's The Nightingale, was created by artist Henri Matisse to replace the lost works by Benois.

The period of 1920-1922 can be called a crisis, stagnant time. Choreographer Leonid Myasin, having quarreled with Sergei Pavlovich, left the troupe. For this reason, only 2 new productions were released at that time - the ballet "Jester" to the music of Sergei Prokofiev and the dance suite "Quadro Flamenco" with Picasso's scenery.

In the autumn of 1921, Diaghilev brought The Sleeping Beauty to London, inviting the ballerina Olga Spesivtseva to perform the lead role. This production was well received by the public, but at the same time it put Diaghilev in a catastrophic situation: the profit from the fees did not reimburse the costs. Diaghilev was on the verge of ruin, the artists began to scatter, and his entreprise almost ceased to exist. Fortunately, an old acquaintance of Diaghilev, Misya Sert, came to the rescue. She was very friendly with Coco Chanel, who was so inspired by Diaghilev's work that she donated significant funds to restore his troupe. By that time, Bronislava Nijinska, the younger sister of Vaslav Nijinsky, had emigrated from Kyiv, whom Diaghilev decided to make the new choreographer of his seasons. Nijinska offered to renew the composition of the troupe with her Kyiv students. In the same period, Diaghilev met Boris Kokhno, who became his personal secretary and author of the libretto of new ballets.

In the spring of 1923, Bronislava Nijinska choreographed one of Diaghilev's most outstanding productions, Stravinsky's Les Noces.

Sketches of scenery by Natalia Goncharova for the ballet "Wedding"

IN 1923 1999, the troupe was immediately replenished with 5 new dancers, including the future favorite of Diaghilev - 18-year-old Serge Lifar. As Diaghilev said about him: “Lifar is waiting for his own right time to become a new legend, the most beautiful of ballet legends”.

In subsequent years, the years of the revival of the Russian Ballet troupe, Picasso and Coco Chanel collaborated with Diaghilev, the troupe tours a lot, presents not only ballet, but also opera productions, symphony and chamber concerts. George Balanchine became the choreographer during this period. He emigrated from Russia after graduating from the theater school at the Mariinsky Theater and, collaborating with Diaghilev, greatly enriched the choreography of his seasons.

George Balanchine (aka George Balanchivadze)

Despite seeming prosperity, Diaghilev again ran into financial difficulties. As a result, Diaghilev took out a loan and, overcoming depression, took up the new season in Paris and London. That's what he said about the season 1926 of the year Serge Lifar: " I will not remember a more brilliant, more triumphant London season in all the years of my life in the Russian Diaghilev Ballet: we were literally carried in our arms, showered with flowers and gifts, all our ballets - both new and old - met enthusiastically and gratefully and caused an endless storm of applause.

Soon Diaghilev began to lose interest in ballet, devoting more and more time and energy to a new hobby - collecting books.

IN 1928 The most successful production of the season was Balanchine's "Apollo Musagete" to Stravinsky's masterpiece, according to Diaghilev, with scenery by Beauchamp and costumes by Coco Chanel. The audience gave Lifar, the soloist in this ballet, a long standing ovation, and Diaghilev himself also highly appreciated his dance. In London, "Apollo Musagete" was shown 11 times - out of 36 productions of the repertoire.

Alexandra Danilova and Serge Lifar in Apollo Musagete, 1928

1929 the year was the last year of the existence of the Diaghilev's Russian Ballet. In the spring and early summer, the troupe actively toured Europe. Then, in late July and early August, a short tour took place in Venice. There, Diaghilev's health suddenly deteriorated: due to an exacerbation of diabetes, he had a stroke, from which he died on August 19, 1929.

After the death of Diaghilev, his troupe broke up. Balanchine went to the USA, where he became a reformer of American ballet. Myasin, together with Colonel de Basil, founded the troupe "Russian Ballet of Monte Carlo", which retained the repertoire of the "Russian Ballet of Diaghilev" and in many respects continued its traditions. Lifar remained in France and headed the ballet company of the Grand Opera, making a huge contribution to the development of French ballet.

Possessing a brilliant artistic intuition to foresee everything new or to discover as a new forgotten art of past eras, Diaghilev could realize each of his ideas with fantastic perseverance. Putting his name and fortune on the line, enticing his friends, Russian merchants and industrialists with his ideas, he borrowed money and invested it in new projects. For Sergei Diaghilev, there were only two idols that he worshiped all his life - Success and Glory.

An outstanding personality, the owner of a unique gift to discover talents and amaze the world with novelty, Sergei Diaghilev brought new names of outstanding choreographers to the world of art - Fokine, Myasin, Nijinsky, Balanchine; dancers and dancers - Nijinsky, Wiltzack, Woitsekhovsky, Dolin, Lifar, Pavlova, Karsavina, Rubinstein, Spesivtseva, Nemchinova, Danilova. He created and rallied a wonderful troupe of talented chorus artists.

Many contemporaries, as well as researchers of Diaghilev's life and work, agree that the main merit of Sergei Pavlovich was the fact that, having organized his "Russian Seasons", he actually launched the process of reviving ballet art not only in Russia, but throughout the world. The ballets created in his enterprise are still the pride of the largest ballet scenes in the world and are successfully staged in Moscow, St. Petersburg, London, Paris and many other cities.

On July 1, when the summer off-season begins on the playbill of repertory theaters, a unique ballet marathon - "Summer Ballet Seasons" - starts in Moscow at the RAMT. This is a non-stop classic in the very center of the capital: every day for two months on the stage - the pearls of world ballet art, accompanied by an orchestra.

Traditionally, the first performance of the "Summer Ballet Seasons" will be the main Russian ballet - "Swan Lake" performed by a new participant in the project - the Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theater (SATOB). One of the largest Russian musical theaters brings 4 performances to Moscow and dances at the "Seasons" from 1 to 7 July. The chief choreographer of the group is Yuri BURLAKA.

On July 1 and 2, the audience has a unique opportunity to see "Swan Lake" in the Bolshoi Theater version of 1901-1922 (duration 3 hours 15 minutes). The choreography of Alexander Gorsky was edited by the chief choreographer of SATOB Yuri Burlaka.

On July 4 and 5, the Samara Ballet Company will present The Sleeping Beauty staged by Gabriela Komleva, winner of the Golden Mask National Theater Award.

On July 6 and 7, the Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theater will show the ballet "Esmeralda", in 2019 nominated for the National Theater Award "Golden Mask" for "the best work of a choreographer". The plot is based on the famous novel by V. Hugo "Notre Dame Cathedral". Music by the Italian composer Caesar Pugni, libretto by Jules Perrot.

This year, the Seasons repertoire includes 10 famous classical ballets - Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet - staged by the legendary choreographers Marius Petipa, Asaf Messerer, Leonid Lavrovsky, Vasily Vainonen, Alexander Gorsky.

A rare name for the capital's stage - the ballet "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to the music of Bogdan Pavlovsky - will be presented by the Art-Da Ballet Theater - a promising team whose performances were enthusiastically received by the public in past seasons. The troupe, which has a high creative potential in both classical and modern directions, works under the motto "Talent and devotion to the classical traditions of Russian ballet".

Marius Petipa's ballet La Bayadère, performed by the National Classical Ballet, will again appear in the repertoire of the "Summer Ballet Seasons". The young troupe, founded in 2010, tours extensively in Russia and the world, carefully preserves the traditions of Russian ballet and has already established itself as a zealous guardian of classical ballet art.

This year, the soloists of the Paris Opéra Garnier (Grand Opéra) are again participating in the performances of the project. The young, talented dancers of the Paris Opera Eloise BOURDON and Jeremy Lou KER will perform the main roles in the ballets Giselle on July 21 and Swan Lake on July 23.

Over 800,000 people have visited the performances of the Summer Ballet Seasons for 18 years. Initially, the project was conceived for foreign tourists visiting Moscow after the closing of the theater and concert season. But the residents of the capital showed no less interest in summer performances, and very soon the "Seasons" became a notable event, and now a good tradition of the cultural life of summer Moscow.

The mission of the project is to preserve the rich traditions of Russian ballet - one of the most important and brightest parts of Russia's cultural heritage. An equally important task is to familiarize the widest audience with the art of classical ballet. The organizers of the "Summer Ballet Seasons" are constantly looking for new professional groups and spectacular performances that preserve the continuity of generations in the art of ballet dance.

All performances are accompanied by an orchestra.