Many
of you are probably quite familiar with Claude Debussy’s lovely Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, or
perhaps even with the poem by Stephane Mallarme on which it is based. But did
you know that this work is also a ballet? Today we’ll learn how Mallarme’s 1876
poem and Debussy’s 1894 score inspired ballet legend Vaslav Nijinsky to
choreograph his first ballet in 1912.
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| Vaslav Nijinsky as the Faun Courtesy of wikimedia.org |
Nijinsky
worked alongside Jean Cocteau in creating what became a scandalous ballet.
Cocteau wrote the ballet scenario, as Nijinsky admitted to never having read
the French poem by Mallarme. The ballet was created for Diaghilev’s famous
Ballets Russe in Paris. Like the ballets we discussed last week, this premiere
also caused a scandal, Nijinsky not hesitating to incorporate the sensual side
of the faun after he encounters several nymphs who leave behind a veil.
Did
you know that Aaron Copland’s Appalachian
Spring began as a ballet? Find out more next time on Clef Notes!
