Vaslav Nijinsky & Tamara Karsavina by Valentine Gross. Comoedia Illustre (June 5, 1913)

Valentine Gross Hugo (1887-1968) was associated with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes during its early days and later with Jean Cocteau and the Surrealists. She was married to Jean Hugo, great grandson of Victor Hugo. She made a number of portraits of Ballets Russes dancers, including these six sketches showing Vaslav Nijinsky and Tamara Karsavina in “Le Carnaval” and “Le Spectre de la Rose.” More of her sketches may be seen here:

 

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Michel Fokine did the choreography for "Le Spectre de la Rose" and Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky appeared in the leading roles as the young girl and the spirit of the rose when the ballet was first performed at the Theatre de Monte Carlo on April 19, 1911. Leon Bakst designed the scenery and costumes and Carl Maria Weber supplied the music. The story, based on a poem by Theophile Gautier, is about a young girl who is so fatigued after returning from her first ball that she falls asleep in a chair while holding a rose. She dreams of dancing with the rose which appears as a handsome young man. She awakens from her dream when he disappears through the window but she remains under his spell.

 

Youtube has a wonderful performance of the ballet taped at the Met on May 13, 1984. For this version Patrick Dupond is the rose and silent movie star Lillian Gish, who personally witnessed Nijinsky in the role, plays the dreaming girl.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BstrKHbR2e4

 

The ballet "Le Carnaval" is based on the music of Robert Schumann, choreographed by Michel Fokine and designed by Leon Bakst. Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes premiered the ballet in Berlin on May 20, 1910, with Lydia Lopokova as Columbine and Vaslav Nijinsky as the Harlequin. The ballet takes place at a masked ball in which Columbine flirts with the Harlequin, and other characters pursue or ridicule one another in light-hearted fun. Philistines crash the party and try unsuccessfully to put a damper on the festivities.

 

The ballet is available for viewing in its entirety on Youtube. It is performed at the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia and is presented in 6 parts.

 

Part 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=np4jmFNX5Mw

 

Part 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nrYLbVzzNE

 

Part 3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixfl2RfBAcs

 

Part 4: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKGTsrJTk_c

 

Part 5: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yx0cfheb-Y

 

Part 6: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRCbOVBaWbA

 

Done