Diaghilev's Russian Seasons: how exactly the impresario's favorites became recognized ballet soloists

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the name Sergei Diaghilev was on everyone's lips. Famous organizer "Russian seasons" He never tired of shocking the audience with his innovative views, realized his most daring projects, was supportive of the leading ballet dancers, which caused the suffering of the most influential ladies of his time. As a young man from the provinces, he became the most famous impresario who managed to bring Russian ballet to a new level - further in the review.

Sergei Diaghilev was born in 1872 in the Novgorod province in the family of a hereditary nobleman. As a child, he happened to live in St. Petersburg, and then in Perm. The intelligent family gathered the entire high society of the city. They often performed performances and played music there. Contemporaries even called the Diaghilevs' house “Perm Athens”.

When Sergei grew up, he went to the capital to enter the law faculty. The young boy, at the insistence of his father, studied law, but his soul yearned for art. Diaghilev attended exhibitions, theaters, took vocal lessons, composed music. Once, having gathered his courage, Sergei invited his friends to listen to an excerpt from the opera Boris Godunov, which he composed himself. He was also in the lead role. The audience did not appreciate the efforts of the artist. Later Diaghilev himself admitted that his voice was "very strong and very disgusting."

The young man had more than enough energy, therefore, not worrying too much about failure, he turned his gaze to painting. Diaghilev, like a sponge, absorbed all the information about the fine arts that came across on his way. To better understand painting, he went on a tour of European cities, personally examining the masterpieces of famous artists. In 1897 in St. Petersburg Sergei Diaghilev organized the first exhibition of English and German watercolors. The success of the event inspired the future entrepreneur to create a fellowship of artists "World of Art" and a magazine with the same name.

When Sergei Diaghilev was 28 years old, he managed to get a position at the director of the Imperial Theaters. He did special assignments. Diaghilev did not stay there for a long time, but he made useful acquaintances, one of which grew into a friendship with the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya, the favorite of Tsarevich Nicholas. Kshesinskaya introduced the entrepreneur to representatives of the imperial family.

By 1906, Sergei Diaghilev began to realize that in Russia he had nowhere to grow, so he set out to conquer Europe. The first victory of the entrepreneur was the exhibition "Two Centuries of Russian Painting and Sculpture" held in Paris. The following year, the sophisticated French audience applauded the Historical Russian Concerts. Diaghilev managed to collect in one performance Chaliapin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov.

A couple of years later, it was time for Russian Seasons, the famous ballet performances. True, the "Seasons" could have ended without starting. The fact is that Diaghilev quarreled with Matilda Kshesinskaya. Ballet master Mikhail Fokin did not see the ballerina in the role of prima, treated kindly by the attention of the royal family, and gave her almost secondary roles. Because of Kshesinskaya's resentment, Diaghilev lost financial support from the royal court, but the perspicacious impresario still found money for the Russian Seasons. The sponsor was a very influential and wealthy lady in Paris, the owner of the music salon Mission Sert.

After the premiere, all the audience's love went not to the ballerinas, but to Vaclav Nijinsky. The audience enthusiastically called him "the god of dance." The production of "Afternoon of a Faun" became a real sensation. Elements of eroticism and passion, combined with ballet steps, were ahead of their time. The production even caused a scandal, but this only benefited the "Russian Seasons".

The impresario had a soft spot for men, especially for Vaslav Nijinsky. He showered his beloved with expensive gifts, took him to various exhibitions. But, at the same time, Diaghilev constantly reminded the dancer that it was to him that he owed his success. Long and eternal love did not come out of this story. Vaclav, taking advantage of the absence of an entrepreneur, while touring in South America, married the dancer Romola Pulski. Diaghilev was furious, but then he pulled himself together and, at the first opportunity, fired Nijinsky.

After breaking up with his leading dancer, Sergei Diaghilev went in search of a new star and … a new lover. At the ballet school of the Bolshoi Theater, the entrepreneur saw great potential in Leonid Massine. Diaghilev began to "win" the young man according to the already known scenario: a lot of attention, expensive gifts, promises of unprecedented career growth. Massine could not resist. The talented young man was ideally suited for the role of the premiere in "Russian Seasons", but he also got married and was "expelled from the favorites" of the entrepreneur.

Sergei Diaghilev knew that there are no irreplaceable people and found a new star for his ballet - Serge Lifar. Diaghilev provided his protege with full support, took him to the famous Italian teacher Ceccheti, from whom Nijinsky and Pavlova took lessons. Lifar did not disappoint his "creator". But Diaghilevu did not admire his dancer for long: the entrepreneur developed diabetes mellitus. Moreover, Diaghilev did not follow the prescribed diet.

In 1929 Diaghilev died. His funeral was paid for by Mission Sert and Coco Chanel, who for many years unsuccessfully craved the love of an impresario who preferred young dancers.

In addition to Diaghilev, the founder of the fashion house had many Russian acquaintances. Russian princesses worked for Coco Chanel, and at the same time, their relationship was very ambiguous.