Ballets Russes

Secaucus, NJ: Wellfleet Press; A Quarto Book, 1990. Cloth, 192 pages, illustrations (some colour); 34 cm. Near fine. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Age toning. Dust jacket toned, with light edgewear, protected in a mylar cover. OVERSIZE! No priority/international, except by arrangement. Profusely illustrated. "This is the dramatic story of the Ballets Russes during the Diaghilev years - its artistic triumphs and financial vicissitudes, its influence on Western fashion, intellectual and artistic thought and, above all, on dance which was revitalized by the brilliance of the Russian performances. The company Diaghilev assembled and then managed with his unique combination of ruthless determination, charm and artistic genius comprised some of the greatest dancers and choreographers - Fokine, Pavlova, Karsavina, Njinsky, Massine and Balanchine - who were given scores by great composers such as Ravel, Stravinsky and Debussy. Costumes and scenery were designed by painters like Bakst, Benois, Picasso and De Chirico. With his startling concentration of talent, it is hardly surprising that the ballet Russe made such a lasting impact." - Publisher. CONTENTS: Foreword; The birth of a tradition; Triumph in the West; The struggle to survive; Classicism, neoclassicism and experiment; After Diaghilev.. 1st. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Folio. Collectible.