Prokofiev's Ballets for Diaghilev

Ballet impresario Sergey Pavlovich Diaghilev and composer Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev are eminent figures in twentieth-century cultural history, yet this is the first detailed account of their fifteen-year collaboration. Stephen D. Press discusses the genesis of each ballet, including the important contributions of the scenic designers (Mikhail Larionov, Georgy Yakulov and Georges Rouault) and the choreographer/dancers (Léonid Massine, Serge Lifar and George Balanchine), and the special relationship between the ballets' progenitors.

StephenD. Press

Contents: Preface; Introduction; Prokofiev and Diaghilev: the collaboration; The path to success: gauging originality versus influence in Ala i Lolli and Chout; The two versions of Chout and the Suite; Topical appropriations and a 'new simplicity' in Le Pas d'acier; L'Enfant prodigue and the end of a fruitful collaboration; Select bibliography; Index.