By Claire Willett Cole Porter “Six Degrees of Separation” is a statistical theory model which suggests that every human being on earth is connected to every other human being on earth through no more than six other people. That is beyond the scope of this undertaking, so we’re going to stick with its far-less-weighty spinoff,… Read More
The Rite Riot: The Ballets Russes and The Rite of Spring
By Linda Besant On May 9, 1909, dancers who would come to be known as Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes gave their first performance at the Théatre du Chatelet in Paris. By the time the company dissolved upon Diaghilev’s death in 1929, the “Russian Ballet” had given work to Europe’s best dancers, choreographers, composers and artists,… Read More
The Bad Boys of Classical
Is 21st-century wunderkind Nico Muhly the rightful heir to Stravinsky’s legacy? By Claire Willett Igor Stravinsky Nico Muhly The Game-Changer “One spring evening in 1913 the intelligentsia of pre-war Paris gathered at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées to see & hear a sensational new ballet. The ballet, put on by famed Russian Impresario Serge Diaghilev, was… Read More
5 Fun Facts About Igor Stravinsky
5 Fun Facts About Igor Stravinsky Courtesy of Maestro Niel DePonte 1. At one point, Stravinsky lived in a Swiss hotel, but wouldn’t compose there unless he was sure no one could hear him – which was rare. Later, a dealer set him up with a piano which was kept in a combination… Read More
