The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris which performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. After its initial Paris season, the company had no formal ties there. However, Diaghilev and Russian artists such as the composers Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev were part of Parisian circles of patrons and artists. These social networks led to numerous collaborations between Russian and French artists, which were presented by the Ballets russes in the years that followed.
Originally conceived by impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the Ballets Russes is widely regarded as the most influential ballet company of the 20th century, in part because it promoted ground-breaking artistic collaborations among young choreographers, composers, designers, and dancers, all at the forefront of their several fields. Diaghilev commissioned works from composers such as Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, Sergei Prokofiev, Erik Satie, and Maurice Ravel, artists such as Alexandre Benois, Konstantin Korovin, Marie Laurencin, Nicholas Roerich, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse, and costume designers Léon Bakst, Ivan Bilibin and Coco Chanel.
The company's productions created a huge sensation, completely reinvigorating the art of performing dance, bringing many visual artists to public attention, and significantly affecting the course of musical composition. It also introduced European and American audiences to tales, music, and design motifs drawn from Russian folklore. The company's employment of European avant-garde art went on to influence broader artistic and popular culture of the early twentieth century, not least the development of Art Deco.
Nomenclature The French plural form of the name, Ballets Russes, specifically refers to the company founded by Sergei Diaghilev and active during his lifetime. (In some publicity the company was advertised as Les Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghileff.) In English, the company is now commonly referred to as "the Ballets Russes", although in the early part of the 20th century, it was sometimes referred to as "The Russian Ballet" or "Diaghilev's Russian Ballet". To add to the confusion, some publicity material spelled the name in the singular.
The names Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo and the Original Ballet Russe (using the singular) refer to companies that formed after Diaghilev's death in 1929.
History and productions
Background Sergei Diaghilev, the company's impresario (or "artistic director" in modern terms), was chiefly responsible for its success. He was uniquely prepared for the role; born into a wealthy Russian family of vodka distillers (though they went bankrupt when he was 18), he was accustomed to moving in the upper-class circles that provided the company's patrons and benefactors. It is indispensable to mention the name of the sponsor Winnaretta Singer whose generous financial subsidies ensured the success of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Europe.
In 1890, he enrolled at the Faculty of Law, St. Petersburg, to prepare for a career in the civil service like many Russian young men of his class. There he was introduced (through his cousin Dmitry Filosofov) to a student clique of artists and intellectuals calling themselves The Nevsky Pickwickians whose most influential member was Alexandre Benois; others included Léon Bakst, Walter Nouvel, and Konstantin Somov. From childhood, Diaghilev had been passionately interested in music. However, his ambition to become a composer was dashed in 1894 when Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov told him he had no talent.
In 1898, several members of The Pickwickians founded the journal Mir iskusstva (World of Art) under the editorship of Diaghilev. As early as 1902, Mir iskusstva included reviews of concerts, operas, and ballets in Russia. The latter were chiefly written by Benois, who exerted considerable influence on Diaghilev's thinking.Morrison, Simon. "The 'World of Art' and Music," in [Mir Iskusstva]: Russia's Age of Elegance. Palace Editions. Omaha, Minneapolis, and Princeton, 2005. p. 38. Mir iskusstva also sponsored exhibitions of Russian art in St. Petersburg, culminating in Diaghilev's important 1905 show of Russian portraiture at the Tauride Palace.Guroff, Greg. "Introduction" in [Mir Iskusstva]: Russia's Age of Elegance. Palace Editions. Omaha, Minneapolis, and Princeton, 2005. p. 14.
Frustrated by the extreme conservatism of the Russian art world, Diaghilev organized the groundbreaking Exhibition of Russian Art at the Petit Palais in Paris in 1906, the first major showing of Russian art in the West. Its enormous success created a Parisian fascination with all things Russian. Diaghilev organised a 1907 season of Russian music at the Paris Opéra. In 1908, Diaghilev returned to the Paris Opéra with six performances of Modest Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov, starring basso Fyodor Chaliapin. This was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's 1908 version (with additional cuts and re-arrangement of the scenes). The performances were a sensation, though the costs of producing grand opera were crippling.
Debut In 1909, Diaghilev presented his first Paris "Saison Russe" devoted exclusively to ballet (although the company did not use the name "Ballets Russes" until the following year). Most of this original company were resident performers at the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg, hired by Diaghilev to perform in Paris during the Imperial Ballet's summer holidays. The first season's repertory featured a variety of works chiefly choreographed by Michel Fokine, including Le Pavillon d'Armide, the Polovtsian Dances (from Prince Igor), Les Sylphides, and Cléopâtre. The season also included Le Festin, a pastiche set by several choreographers (including Fokine) to music by several Russian composers.
Principal productions
The principal productions are shown in the table below.
+YearTitleImageComposer(s)Choreographer(s)Sets and costumes1909Le Pavillon d'ArmideNikolai TcherepninMichel FokineAlexandre BenoisPolovtsian Dances (from Prince Igor)Alexander BorodinMichel FokineNicholas RoerichLe FestinNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (march from Le Coq d'Or used for processional entry)Konstantin Korovin (sets and costumes)
Léon Bakst (costumes)
Alexandre Benois (costumes)
Ivan Bilibin (costumes)Mikhail Glinka ("Lezginka" from Ruslan and Ludmilla)Michel Fokine, Marius PetipaPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ("L'Oiseau d'Or" from The Sleeping Beauty)Marius PetipaAlexander Glazunov ("Czardas" from Raymonda)Alexander GorskyModest Mussorgsky ("Hopak" from The Fair at Sorochyntsi)Michel FokineMikhail Glinka ("Mazurka" from A Life for the Tsar)Nicolai Goltz, Felix KchessinskyPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ("Trepak" from The Nutcracker)Michel FokineAlexander Glazunov ("Grand Pas Classique Hongrois" from Raymonda)Marius PetipaPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ("Finale" of the Second Symphony)Michel FokineLes SylphidesFrédéric Chopin (orch. Glazunov, Igor Stravinsky, Alexander Taneyev)Michel FokineAlexandre BenoisCléopâtreAnton Arensky (additional music by Glazunov, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergei Taneyev, Nikolai Tcherepnin)Michel FokineLéon Bakst1910CarnavalRobert Schumann (orch. Arensky, Glazunov, Anatol Liadov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tcherepnin)Michel FokineLéon BakstSchéhérazadeNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovMichel FokineLéon BakstGiselleAdolphe AdamJean Coralli, Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa (revival), Michel Fokine (revisions)Alexandre BenoisLes OrientalesChristian Sinding (Rondoletto giocoso, op.32/5) (orch. Igor Stravinsky for "Danse Siamoise") Edvard Grieg (Småtroll, op.71/3, from Lyric Pieces, Book X) (orch. Igor Stravinsky for "Variation")
(additional music by Glazunov and Arensky)Vaslav Nijinsky ("Danse Orientale" and "Variation") Michel FokineKonstantin Korovin (sets and costumes) Léon Bakst (costumes)L'Oiseau de feuIgor StravinskyMichel FokineAlexander Golovine (sets and costumes) Léon Bakst (costumes)1911Le Spectre de la roseCarl Maria von WeberMichel FokineLéon BakstNarcisseNikolai TcherepninMichel FokineLéon BakstSadkoNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovMikhail FokineBoris AnisfeldPetrushkaIgor StravinskyMichel FokineAlexandre BenoisSwan LakePyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyMarius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Michel Fokine (revisions)Konstantin Korovin (sets) Alexander Golovin (sets and costumes)1912L'après-midi d'un fauneClaude DebussyVaslav NijinskyLéon BakstDaphnis et ChloéMaurice RavelMichel FokineLéon BakstLe Dieu bleuReynaldo HahnMichel FokineLéon BakstThamarMily Balakirev based on his symphonic poem TamaraMichel FokineLéon Bakst1913JeuxClaude DebussyVaslav NijinskyLéon BakstLe sacre du printempsIgor StravinskyVaslav NijinskyNicholas RoerichTragédie de SaloméFlorent SchmittBoris RomanovSergey Sudeykin1914Les PapillonsRobert Schumann (orch. Nikolai Tcherepnin)Mikhail FokineMstislav DoboujinskyLa légende de JosephRichard StraussMichel FokineLéon BakstLe coq d'orNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovMichel FokineNatalia GoncharovaLe rossignolIgor StravinskyBoris RomanovAlexandre BenoisMidasMaximilian SteinbergMichel FokineMstislav Doboujinsky1915Soleil de NuitNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovLéonide MassineMikhail Larionov1916Las MeniñasGabriel FauréLéonide MassineJosep Maria Sert (costumes)KikimoraAnatoly LiadovLéonide MassineMikhail LarionovTill EulenspiegelRichard StraussVaslav NijinskyRobert Edmond Jones1917Feu d'ArtificeIgor StravinskyGiacomo BallaLes Femmes de Bonne HumeurDomenico Scarlatti (orch. Vincenzo Tommasini)Léonide MassineLéon BakstParadeErik SatieLéonide MassinePablo Picasso1919La Boutique fantasqueGioachino Rossini (arr. Ottorino Respighi)Léonide MassineAndré DerainEl sombrero de tres picosManuel de FallaLéonide MassinePablo PicassoLes jardins d'Aranjuez (new version of Las Meninas)Louis Aubert, Gabriel Fauré (Pavane), Maurice Ravel (Alborada del gracioso), Emmanuel Chabrier (Menuet pompeux)Léonide MassineJosep Maria Sert (costumes)1920Le chant du rossignolIgor StravinskyLéonide MassineHenri MatissePulcinellaIgor StravinskyLéonide MassinePablo PicassoBallet de l'astuce féminine or CimarosianaDomenico CimarosaLéonide MassineJosep Maria SertLe sacre du printemps (revival)Igor StravinskyLéonide MassineNicholas Roerich1921ChoutSergei ProkofievLéonide MassineMikhail LarionovCuadro FlamencoTraditional Andalusian music (arr. Manuel de Falla)Pablo PicassoThe Sleeping BeautyPyotr TchaikovskyMarius PetipaLéon Bakst1922Le Mariage de la Belle au Bois DormantPyotr TchaikovskyMarius PetipaAlexandre Benois (sets and costumes) Natalia Goncharova (costumes)MavraIgor StravinskyBronislava NijinskaLéopold SurvageRenardIgor StravinskyBronislava NijinskaMikhail Larionov1923Les nocesIgor StravinskyBronislava NijinskaNatalia Goncharova1924Les Tentations de la Bergère, ou l'Amour VainqueurMichel de Montéclair (arr. and orch. Henri Casadesus)Bronislava NijinskaJuan GrisLe Médecin malgré luiCharles GounodBronislava NijinskaAlexandre BenoisLes bichesFrancis PoulencBronislava NijinskaMarie LaurencinCimarosianaDomenico Cimarosa (orch. Ottorino Respighi)Léonide Massine, Bronislava NijinskaJosé-María SertLes FâcheuxGeorges AuricBronislava NijinskaGeorges BraqueLe train bleuDarius MilhaudBronislava NijinskaHenri Laurens (sets) Gabrielle Chanel (costumes)
Pablo Picasso (sets) 1925Zephyr et FloreVladimir DukelskyLéonide MassineGeorges BraqueLe chant du rossignol (revival)Igor StravinskyGeorge BalanchineHenri MatisseLes matelotsGeorges AuricLéonide MassinePere PrunaBarabauVittorio RietiGeorge BalanchineMaurice Utrillo1926Roméo et JulietteConstant LambertBronislava NijinskaMax Ernst (curtain)